Dream a Little Dream
by BlurredFate
Summary: Rikku's off again, leaving Lulu with a message to give a certain Faction Leader. A message that leaves him more then a little shaken and very very shocked. But hopefully not too much
1. Default Chapter

Hello people. How have all of you been faring? anyways. This is my first story. Big accomplishment when nothing else has been done. I fell in love with Final fantasy X-2's Rikku and Gippal about the moment they hinted that they had some sort of deeper relationship. So this is Rikku's story, since it seems only fair that she have one, when Yuna has already had one, and that she contributed a lot during X and now X-2.

So here is Rikku's story.

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Disclaimer: I do not own FF X-2. Please don't sue.

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Dream A Little Dream

By: BlurredFate

Prologue:

Rikku skipped along merrily along the wood walkways of Kilika Island. Holding a bright red balloon in her left hand and muffin in her other hand, looking very much like a child, occasionally stopping by to look at the wares Kilika's best craftsmen had to offer.

She sighed, looking at a very intricate thief's scythe, much like her own, bent for a closer look when someone brushed by her. Kilika Island was buzzing with business as usual. "Well....you're uncharacteristically _alone_ today, love." drawled a very familiar voice behind her. Rikku turned around, only to be momentarily blinded by the bright magenta clothing. "Leblanc? What are _you_ doing here?" Rikku asked, already anticipating the answer.

"Waiting for my Noojie-woojie, of course" Leblanc said nonchalantly, looking over her shoulder and eyeing a bright pair of pink hair clips. "I wasn't allowed into that meeting. I suppose it's for the best. I'd probably distract my Noojie from getting any real work done....."she murmured, so quietly Rikku had to strain to hear her.

Leblanc's eyes snapped back to Rikku's. "Why aren't _you_ at the meeting? weren't you allowed?"

Rikku shrugged "Nah. Sitting down and talking about what Spira's gonna do now that peace is restored, and sitting through endless debates about talks of the future and things like that aren't really my style."

Leblanc harrumphed. "My Noojie has wonderful plans for the future. Spira would be blessed if Noojie were put in charge."

Rikku resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "They're talking about a Tri-power Government Leblanc. Politics were never my thing....but, I'm going on a limb here and say that the Youth League, New Yevon, and Machina Faction are dividing and sharing knowledge to keep the peace, and making pacts with the Guado and Ronso." Rikku said, quoting what Yuna had said a million times, prior to the ongoing meetings.

"What ever you say, Love, but I still wish I could see Noojie make his speech and reduce everyone into eating out of the palm of his hand. My Noojie _is_ such a powerful manly-man after all..."Lebanc said, on a dreamy sigh, walking towards the temple to wait for Nooj.

Once she was out of sight, Rikku did shake her head. A small smile on her face. Leblanc had proved to be an extremely loyal person when it came to Nooj. Six and a half months after Vegnagun was destroyed, she had stuck to his side, refusing to let her "Noojie" get away from her ever again.

Rikku continued her aimless wandering of Kilika Island, waiting for Yuna and Paine to come back. Yuna being the High Summoner was asked to help contribute her Ideas along with the New Tri-power Government established just two months after Vegnagun was dealt with. Paine, Also feeling as if she had something to contribute, being closely connected to the three big shots of Spira went with her. Rikku smiled a little sadly. Even her dad, brother, Shinra, and even buddy seemed to think they had something to contribute. Of course representatives from other races, Like Kimahri, representing the Ronso and Tromell, the new leader of the Guado were also invited to work out their differences.

So far these meetings have progressed a week, with no problems. It went so smoothly that Rikku couldn't help but squirm. Things as big as this never go without glitches. She mentally gave herself a shake. That only happened with machines...something always went wrong with machines that you had worry, if it got to big, it'd have bigger problems.

'This isn't a Machine, Rikku. It's the new Government' Rikku told herself. She was being silly. Yet, she couldn't seem to shake the fact that something wasn't right with this. The government was a good idea, bringing some order into the once chaotic world of Sin. But at the same time, Rikku mourned the loss of the spontaneous spin of Spira. Somehow she felt guilty that she felt that way. Somehow feeling as if she was missing something.

Rikku sighed. Everything was peachy keen with the world and everyone was happy. So why wasn't _she_ happy? All her life she had thrived on protecting everyone around her to the very best of her ability. Through Sin, and Vegnagun she always helped, always envisioning something horrible happening to everyone around her if she didn't do her best to protect them. It saddened her to think that there wasn't anything more to protect anyone from. Spira had finally found peace. Yuna was happy, she had Tidus sitting by her side and helping to try and disagree with the idea of building a Neo Zanarkand just above the Zanarkand Ruins, using the forgotten technology found up on the very top of Mt. Gagazet to make a floating island. Yuna, of course was vehemently against the idea, saying that it would be a repetition of past mistakes. Even Paine had a say in the new ideals of rebuilding the Crusaders. Paine was for the idea, only arguing that tests, such as the Den of Woe, never be repeated.

Yuna had a new purpose, so did Paine, it seemed everyone had a new purpose. It was only poor unfortunate Rikku that had lost hers.

Rikku was sulking, sitting on the edge of an empty dock, staring aimlessly into her reflection. She was alone again, feeling disturbingly like it did when Sin had destroyed Home. The Celsius didn't feel like a hone anymore. Brother and Buddy were always taking around the Youth League and New Yevon to various meetings all over Spira, thus it was always buzzing with people and Never felt like just them anymore.

Yep. Things had sure changed these past two years. 'So I'll be happy dependable Rikku. The one everyone looks to for some amusement'. Rikku sighed. Yes, she was aware that she was the stress relief of the people. She knew her part, she was to keep everyone amused, so they don't fall into the glum of actually going to deep into what they were trying to do, and have a little fun once in a while.

"But I'm getting tired of being amusement...." Rikku mussed out loud. Looking at the balloon she was holding, she smiled faintly. She glanced over at the horizon. The sun was setting. Walking over to the dock with a resigned sigh she sat down at the edge, her feet dangling above the water. She watched the sky with no little appreciation. It was very rare that they, the Gullwings, had time to appreciate the sunset anymore. Everything was so hectic. Going to Bevelle one week, then waking up in Luca the next. Traveling so many places was fun, Rikku silently admitted. But after a while, after you've been just about everywhere you could go, the novelty of it kind of faded. Staring at the sun as it set lower into the horizon, Rikku took a deep breath. She glanced at the balloon. "This represents everything I was, everything that I came into this world as. All my worries, all my accomplishments, all everything I ever felt about anything and anyone." She said to herself. Hesitantly, she let the balloon go. After a moment, she snatched it back, out of the air.

Then she laughed at herself. "You have to learn to let go. Stop depending on people, break out on your own! I only hope I have the courage to do all the things I think I'm brave enough to do......" She stared at the balloon again.

Unbidden, images swirled into her memory as she stared at it. Everything they'd been through, all the good times and the tough times.

"_Am I really ready to let go of it all?"_

"Am I ready to make my own story?"

Yes.

"Am I ready to find out if I even have a story worth telling?"

Yes.

"Am I ready to face Yunie, Paine, Brother, and Pop's wrath once they figure out I've gone without telling them?"

Er.......not really...but then I'll just have to be really sneaky about it then, won't I?

It'll be tough, but little Rikku isn't needed here anymore.

Gotta strike out on my own. I love everyone. I really do. But nothing feels like it fits anymore. Sure, saving the world twice might give me a little unwanted attention.... but it's nothing compared to all the media Yunie has to go through every where she goes. I understand that she wants to spend time with Tidus. I'm happy for her that she's found happiness. After all that she's had to go through to get to that happiness, she's deserved it.

But what about me? Don't I get a little infinitesimal speck of happiness since I helped? I was there when Tidus told his story. I was there throughout Yunie's. Even Paine had a story that was interlaced with Yuine's. But what about good ol' dependable Rikku?

I'm tired of being just a part of everyone's story. After helping save the world from two potential apocalypses, if it's one thing I've learned, it's that life is too short, and I should live it.

I'm going to hear it from Yunie when she gets back from her meetings and I'm not there. Albeit, hopefully she'll be too distracted staring into Tidus's pretty eyes to actually notice my disappearance for a while.

I don't want to be sneaky. I just know that I need some time alone to think about what I'm going to do with myself. Once I do, I'll probably come back. I don't know how long that could be but I'll try....

Hang on to your seats and buckle your seat belts, ladies and gentlemen. Rikku's story is about to fly. And your in for the ride of your lives!

With that, Rikku laughed, letting her balloon drift off into the sunset. 


	2. Along My Merry Way

Hello, it's me, Blurredfate again with chapter one of Dream a Little Dream! I know it kind of started off a little confusing, but I just want you all to know that from now on, I'll either be telling this story from the third person or the first person. I think I'll alternate it. This chapter it will be in Rikku's point of view, the next it will be in the third person. Okay? Everyone follow? Good!

So here it is.

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Dream a Little Dream

Chapter 1: Along My Merry Way

It was bright when I got up this morning. I took a ship out from Kilika yesterday. I don't really know if Yuna's figured out if I've left or not. But hopefully she won't until I'm on solid ground.

Hm. I don't really know if any of you actually know me. so....

Ahem. I'm Rikku. I'm an Al Bhed. For those of you who don't really know about us, the simplest way to describe us would be......um....engineers? I don't exactly know if that would be the right term to use, but we work with machines.

Heh, don't mean to brag or anything but my dad was the leader of the Al Bhed up till two years ago when our home, 'Home' in Sanubia Desert on Bikanel Island was blown up by an evil meanie named Sin. People really didn't like the Al Bhed back then. But then again, they were really dark times, two years ago. People have lightened up a lot since then, I guess because the High Summoner Yunie....er...Yuna is half Al Bhed. She's my cousin you know.

Looking back I guess I did have something to do with defeating Sin. Although, respectively, that seems like a lifetime ago.

I guess I should summarize my adventures, unless you've already heard about it from somewhere else in Spira. But word gets spread and far-fetched. So you'll hear it from me.

Two years ago, Pop's and I, (Brother wasn't smart enough to actually think of a plan of action, he was too busy goofing off, setting his hair on fire and all that stuff) hatched a brilliant plan, we wanted to go into the Underground ruins and fish out some old Machina, machines, as they call it now, from those ruins.

We thought that maybe something in there might help us with the second part of our plan but then we met a guy named Tidus....woah, I'm kinda getting ahead of myself, so lets back track a bit. Two months prior to that event (meeting Tidus and unearthing new machina and all) we heard that my cousin, Yuna, was trying her luck as a Summoner. Pop's kinda exploded.

" 'Damnit! She's gonna end up like her old man! I'm not about to lose the only connection left I have with my sister! Rikku, git' over here and listen, we're gonna stop her from throwin' her life away.' " Is what Pop's said, only with more swearing.....and in Al Bhed.

Heh, mind you, I wasn't exactly tickled in my toes, finding out that my only cousin was going to throw her life away, just so she could get immortalized in stone, and only to have the thing she threw her life away for, (Sin) come back.

Needless to say, Pop's and I were on the same page.

After we meet Tidus, Pop's forced him to come hunting for Machina with us. I felt kinda bad, since, you know, I was the one that punched him.

I know isn't important, but, my first impression of Tidus was that (hopefully Yuna doesn't hear about this) he was insane, he said he'd come from Zanarkand. Cute, but a little unhinged, was what I thought. Zanarkand had been destroyed over a thousand years prior. So I figured he couldn't have lived that long. But you never know, stranger things have happened.

I guess you know the rest. He met Yuna, the two fell in love (with a little jealousy on my part, not about their love, no, I was happy for them, but about the fact that they would be there for one another) and lo and behold. We find out that good old Tidus (my future cousin-in-law, heh heh) was only a dream. And he faded away after we beat Sin.

But the funny thing was, he knew he was going to disappear if we beat Sin. And yet he still went through it.

That takes a lot of courage. To top it all off, his _dad_ was Sin. Yeah, strange right? Destroying your own father. I mean yeah, I'd like to bop Pop's on the head once in a while but _kill_ him?

But he did it. All for Yuna.

I can't help but wonder. Will I ever have a love like that?

Someone that'll love me enough to give up everything they've ever known, and possibly fade away for it?

I guess I'm a little jealous of Yuna. Seems like every where I turn people are finding love.

Like they've been hit but some love missile.

Yeah....I guess who ever is pulling the trigger on those missiles has bad aim. At least towards me.

Yuna and Tidus are blissfully happy together.

I'm starting to suspect something's going on between Paine and Baralai. (Except I'm too afraid to ask, Paine might deduct more respect points)

Gippal's _never _had a problem with finding women. They flock to him (though I can't imagine why).

Great Spira, even _Nooj _and _Leblanc_ are happy.

Heh, but then love lives tend to make things dull and un-interesting, at least in my perspective.

..........did I tell you where I'm headed?

To......da da da _daaaaaa!_ Macalania Woods!

..............tch, _fine_ don't be happy for me. I'll be happy for the both of us.

Heh, I guess you'd be happier if I actually told you _why_, I'm headed there.

Yesterday back in Kilika, this old couple was talking, and they told me (actually I was eavesdropping, but that's not important) that there was some strange phenomena of some sort happening in Macalania. I have a hunch that it has nothing to do with the vanishing of the woods either. I don't know if I'm right, but hey, it wouldn't kill me to go check it out right?

Don't answer that. Okay, I know I'm clumsy, but that doesn't mean that people can just say I'm clumsy like that. It hurts my feelings. Well, not exactly, but I don't exactly like being reminded that I'm not very coordinated.

Anyways, Phenomena. Macalania woods. Right. So I'm gonna check it out, maybe buy a few supplies from O'aka. But generally enjoy my travels without having to be dictated with some save the world stuff. Anyway, lunch time, I'm starving!

I was walking to the Cafeteria, in the ship, when I kinda bumped into someone. Well....more like collided with him....her....it. It's not my fault! I swear! It wasn't my fault that he was in my way as I was running to the cafeteria, honest! And I was watching where I was going! Anyway, she/he/it (I couldn't tell, it was wearing a cloak) and I collided.

To tell you the truth, he was very rude. He didn't even say sorry. he just got up and walked away, er....more like glided away, at the time I didn't really think I was seeing things correctly, cause I was on food deprivation. but he dropped something. And I was trying to be a good citizen, and return it to him, but when I turned around, he wasn't there anymore, it was like he was never there in the first place.

So I checked, I turned around and called:

"Ahem....um....Mister....sir? Hey! Are you there? Heeellooooo? You dropped your....thing....hey...."

He dropped a case. It was a rectangular case, not unlike a suitcase. I didn't want to open it, cause I didn't want to invade his privacy. (besides it might have had some icky stuff in it.) So I just carried it around with me and searched the entire ship for him. I couldn't find him. At all. I was beginning to think that I just imagined the whole thing. But I couldn't have, right? I mean there was the case in there.

Okay, I just want to make clear that I don't make a habit of looking into other people's things. (Except maybe Brother's, cause he takes my stuff all the time). But by this time it was creeping me out, The guy drops something that could be essentially important to him or something, and then he disappears? I would categorize that as creepy.

Anyways, so I'm in my cabin right? It was sitting right there on the bed. I had my knives out, you know, just in case something popped out. I opened it.

It was a sword.

..........What the heck am I gonna do with a sword?

Sure I have a samurai sword, and sword of darkness kinda thing for my dress spheres, but this was a sword.

It was a pretty sword. it had some or something, reflecting in the light. And it was made entirely of Macalania crystals.

Macalania crystals are like diamonds, only _much_ prettier, and a hell of a lot better to make weaponry with. they're also really, really expensive, and really hard to make.

This sword was an old model. I'd seen it in some manuscripts in Bevelle, when we last went. I picked it up,

it was light weight, and very well made. I got a feel for it instantly. Which is odd, cause I usually have to train for _years_ to get the swing of things.

I couldn't help wondering why the people who dropped this could have left without it.

It also kind of strengthened my resolve to going to Macalania woods to see if there were still good quality Crystals there. And to check out the weird phenomena of course.

Next day. I got off the ship into the Luca harbor. Great....it would take me at least two weeks to get to Macalania on foot. I didn't bring very much money either.

Stupid Rikku. Stupid!

So my way of going is to.....lets see....After asking for directions there's one clear route to take.

From Luca. to Mi'ihen Highroad. Then through Mushroom Rock Road. Then through Djose (please don't make me meet Gippal, Please!) Across the Moonflow, through Guadosalam(Leblanc....oh dear...), through the Thunder Plaines (yeck, thunder) and finally to Macalania.

.............Who came up with the stupid Idea to go on they're own adventure?

You did Rikku.

Next time I suggest something. Remind me not to listen to myself.

Ho, boy. Is it to late to go back to Kilika?

Maybe no- Oh _poopie!_ They were supposed to have left Kilika this morning. With the airship they could be anywhere in Spira in Hours! Drat, drat, and drat again!

You wanted this Rikky, stick to it.

Okay then. Along my merry(not) way we go!

However do I get myself into these things?


	3. Close Calls in Luca

Thank you all for reviewing! I feel loved and inspired to write more. um, scratch the fact that I was going to do a third person chapter, I'll just stick with Rikku's point of view until I get tired of it. Thank you all again, read and enjoy.

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Dream a Little Dream

Chapter 3: Close calls in Luca

I've been in Luca for three and a half days. Maybe I'm procrastinating on actually getting my story told. At this point I think my story will just put people to sleep.

Everything is so calm.

So Peaceful..............

It's _boring._

Where's the adventure in life? Right now all I see is the upcoming Blitzball Tournament. It's getting me kinda nervous because, I might see Tidus here, everybody is getting prepared to get into the new event. It'll start in two days, and where Tidus is, Yuna won't be far behind. and where Yuna is, Paine is bound to be in step with her.

Can you understand why I'm kinda _freaking_ _out?_ Yeah, yeah, I could just leave Luca and head of to Mi'ihen Highroad, but I'm still stocking up on supplies. That and the fact that I defiantly need a new style. My current one is drawing _way_ too much attention. I love my clothes and my style, but right now, those two are just to noticeable. My somewhat unwanted fame is kinda annoying, you can't go anywhere without people pointing fingers and whispering.

It makes me feel like I'm in some sort of show. Basic Math.

Rikku Attention Not good.

Rikku - Attention very good.

See? Heh, anyway, I was heading down to the Style Salon near Luca harbor, (I don't know why they would put one so close to the harbor, must be the view), guess who I saw.

Guess! _Kimahri._ Yeah, no big deal right? But then behind him was Tidus.

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Tidus! If he was here, then 'Oh darling cousin of mine', must also be here. This is _bad_. Very, _very bad._

To his left, some black caught my attention. Paine. And Baralai. They were getting off the Celsius near the harbor.

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Crap. This must mean they have another Tri-counsel meeting. Then I just notcied, Someone was talking to Kimahri, it was Yuna and (Insert heart wrenching gasp here) Gippal.

Double crap.

I knew he saw me cause I saw his one eye (damn him and his one eye!) look in this direction and a damnable smirk spread across his annoyingly attractive face. Plus, it became that devious "ooooh. Rikku's been a bad girl" look that I knew back when we were on friendlier terms.

I should have thrown my shoe at him.

But that would have cause some further attention directed at me. As it was I was getting strange looks from civilians because I was hiding behind a potted plant.

I waited until they were all a preoccupied with what they were doing, grabbed my stuff (new sword) and ran like a maniac to the Style Salon.

Needless to say I was lacking oxygen by the time I reached it so I said to a pretty red-head staring at me with wide gray eyes.

"I (gasp) need (gasp) a (wheeze) makeover." Okay, so I was practically dying, but hey, I was desperate.

The red head looked at me and burst out into hysterical laughter. "Suga', you just made my day, hell week." she said once she got herself under control.

Stupidly I said "What?"

"One of my lil' girls" she pointed to a well endowed brunette, "toll me that there was this cute lil' wood sprite a-hidin' behind some lil' bush" she gave another chuckle and wiped her eyes.

"We been watchin' you, watch them' suga' plum" the brunette grinned, her blue eyes twinkling. She nodded to the window

I glanced out the window, then was basically horrified to death seeing Gippal heading this direction. I did the only thing I could thing of.

I plowed under the service desk.

I felt more then just a little stupid, and I felt like I had been caught with my hand in the cookie jar. I don't know why. Gippal always had that kind of effect on me, no matter how unwarranted it was. The bastard.

Anyways the bell chimes, signaling that he had come into the salon. The brunette was eyeing him appreciatively, I tried not to roll my eyes.

See? Women flock to him. The red-head was discreetly looking at me under the desk with an amused smile on her face. I could sigh right now, but I won't. She was looking at me like I was a precious two year old. That thought nearly made me chuckle.

I looked at her and put a finger to my mouth, signaling her not to say anything about me. Her smile widened slightly, and she nodded subtly.

Glancing up, she smiled at Gippal.

"What cn' we do for you, stranger?" she said, as if there _wasn't_ an insane seventeen year-old hiding under her service desk.

I heard Gippal chuckle. I wanted to shoot him for it. It was all _his_ fault that I was hiding under the desk, and I'm pretty sure he knew what was going on too.

"Nothing really, but ladies," his voice took on an amused edge "Have you seen a girl come in here? dressed in bright yellow? Blond hair, green eyes, kinda insane?"

I resolved that I _would_ shoot him. I would. Just as soon as he left I would shoot him.

The Brunette smiled "Well now that you mentioned it, suga'pie--"

The red head cut in "No one's come in here fittin' that description, sunshine" she smiled, and glanced at her friend with an even broader grin.

The brunette grinned, catching on. "Actually, honey' bun, I think we saw the little sweetheart, walkin' towards the blitzball stadium"

There was another soft chuckle coming from Gippal.

He would die. A very painful death. I would see to it personally.

"Really? hmm, you won't mind me looking around would you, ladies?" He said in that, I-don't-quite-believe-you voice.

I imagined someone running over Gippal in a hover car near Mi'ihen highroad. Him 'accidentally' tripping and falling of a bridge. Oh, the possibilities were endless.

"Sure' thing sunshine, lemme just move out of your way" the red head said, she moved closer to the service desk, effectively blocking me out from view.

I loved this woman. I really did.

The brunette grabbed Gippal's arm as he made his way closer to the desk, she did it in such a fluid motion that you would have never thought she was trying to hide something. "C'mon suga'pie, lemme show you all the nifty lil' nooks and crannies on this here lil' building."

"W-well I--" I heard Gippal say.

"Oh, come now, suga' pie, you didn't actually think that you'd get away without gettin' the grand tour now didja?" The brunette said as she happily dragged him away.

What I would have given to see Gippal's face as she dragged him off. I almost felt sorry for him, it was a big building and the brunette didn't strike me as the type of person to skip details, even small ones.

The red-head stepped away then and beamed at me "I haven't had that much fun in a loong time, sunshine, thanks again"

"Thank _you_" I said and meant it.

"I'm Raru, and my lil' sister showin' your friend around is Roma, she'll be gone for hours with your friend."

"Now what about that makeover you wanted?"

Within an hour, I felt like a whole new person. My hair was down, and straightened. And my cloths were considerably less revealing.

My top was almost exactly like the top I wore through fitting Sin. Only it was white. Black and red belts looped loosely around my shorts, criss-crossing one another. My blades were silver and black now instead of read and yellow. I don't know how Raru pulled that off, but she also got me a belt to hold my sword.

All in all, it wasn't half bad. I liked it. I felt bad that Raru wouldn't let me pay for any of it though.

"You helped my week not suck, sunshine, you doan have to pay for anythin' and doncha even think of it, cause I ain't taking it." is what she said

So she shooed me out of the salon and told me to visit her again when I wasn't so busy and tell her of my travels. She felt like an aunt, needless to say, It felt good to be able to depend on strangers.

I made my way to Mi'ihen Highroad, just as it was getting dark, and people wouldn't really recognize me. I was walking on the highroad when all of a sudden I hear a chuckle.

"You'd have to do better then that to shake me off your trail, Cid's girl" A wry very male voice said.

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Crap.


	4. Get off my cloud

Hello again!. I know the past updates have been really short, so I'll try to make things better and maybe a little longer. Er. There are some things you should know. Sometimes all have chapters that have absolutely nothing to do with the plot. Nothing at all. Like little short stories and little extras.

But anyway. Here. Read and Enjoy.

Caution! things get a little steamy here, nothing horribly bad, but if you're uncomfortable with this kind of stuff, please don't read.

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Dream A little Dream

Chapter 4: Get off My Cloud

"Did you think I wouldn't notice you were here?" Gippal said, his breath was _really _close to my neck. I resisted the urge to shiver.

I don't understand why all of a sudden I'm reacting this way to him. It's _so _not cool. I heard his boots step closer. And I don't feel guilty in the least, thinking about poking out his other eye. He was ruining my semi-beautiful plan to go off un-noticed. Plus it just proved that the entire makeover was a bomb.

"I might have one eye, Cid's girl, but I'm not blind." He continued.

I didn't even answer him. I just did what anyone in my position would do.

I ran like a maniac.

I knew he was following me, I heard his breathing and his footsteps right behind me. So I kept on running. I guess I did have an advantage that he didn't. His clothes were heavier then mine.

He handled machina a lot more then I did since I left with Yuna. So the need for more protective clothing wasn't really needed on my part. Him on the other hand, he had to make sure he at least a light weight metal covering his chest and arms and lower body.

We may be Al Bhed, and we may be great with machines, building them and taking them apart. But they aren't entirely safe. Heck, that's an understatement they're usually very dangerous.

But real experts, like yours truly, don't really need as heavy protective clothing to handle machines. I'm not saying Gippal isn't a good engineer and all. For all his cocky-ness and outstanding ability to make me laugh and then make me want to murder him in a span of two minutes, he's a great engineer. Probably one of the reasons he is the leader of the Machine Faction.

It doesn't mean he's indestructible. His eye is living proof of that.

I've seen Al Bhed with lesser skill with machines handle machina without protective clothing and have had their stomachs ripped open when something went wrong. Not a pretty sight, I'm telling you.

Anyway, yeah, Heavier clothing. Plus, I didn't have to haul around at least nine guns with me. Gippal is like that. He's kinda paranoid about protection. (Bullets con-junctioned with a thundaga spell and all is one of his favorites, don't ask me how I know). But he doesn't like to be without his portable machina.

I was thinking that I'd lost him, after a while. Besides, my sides were burning, and I couldn't breath. So I glanced back and found that he wasn't following me.

I stopped and gasped, trying to get my breath back. Then suddenly;

__

Bam!!

Next thing I know, I'm on my back, my hands pinned over my head. And a massive helping of Gippal on top of me.

If I didn't have the wind knocked out of me before, this woulda done it. Ugh! it shouldn't be _fair_ that someone who has one eye and happens to be a cocky _jerk_ look so hot, panting and sweating and grinning like an idiot.

__

Damn him and the effects he has on my poor little mind and body.

If Brother found us in this position, he'd castrate Gippal. I wouldn't be upset or anything, but I'd sure have a good time laughing at him.

He grinned at me "Pinned ya." he said.

__

Grrrrr! if my hands were free I'd beat him. I would. _Slap!_ right in the kisser!

Seemingly, I must have been broadcasting my thoughts because he tsked and said "Now, now cid's girl, that isn't nice."

__

Die stupid heathen! Die!

I tried to wriggle free, but his arms were like damn iron _bars_. I guess that's another plus with working with machines. Rock hard muscle. Damn him.

I arched my back and tried to buck him off. Which only caused him to groan and me to be horribly, horribly, embarrassed.

__

I hate him, I hate him, I hate him!

So I said, in as calm a voice I could manage. "Please get off me Gippa-_uuungh_"

That last part came out as a groan, because he wanted to get back at me for trying to buck him off, so the guy (_I hate him I hate him I hate him!)_ ground his hips against mine.

Blah! Now I'm getting embarrassed talking about it!

So we'll fast forward to the rest of it and-

What? You want to hear the rest of it?

You-you- you _evil meanie! _you're in League with Gippal, aren't you?! Aren't you!

__

Fine for the good of narration I shall continue. But then I shall wish you a horribly painful death for embarrassing me like this.

Um....well. Ugh! do I have to? No? Yes? No? Yes?

I hate you.

Well, at this point, there were people patrolling the Highroad, you know to watch out of Fiends? Anyways, Gippal seemed to be getting his fix hearing me moan ( I hate you all for making me do this) and kept doing it. At this point I wasn't sure if I wanted him to stop or not.

But the patrol man heard me.(To my immortal embarrassment) and yelled.

"Damn kids! You think you can go all Hanky-Panky whenever you want? Go to a hotel!" he grumbled about disrespectful teens and I heard his partner call out to him and say (it was kinda distant cause he was further down and I was too busy thinking of the most painful way to kill Gippal) "What's up Larve, sumthin wrong?"

"Nah" Larve said "Just another pair of kinds goin' all hanky-panky in the bushes"

His partner laughed and said "Really? Third pair we found tonight!" then he laughed some more.

I would have happily strangled all of them. As it was, the person I was most eager to murder was grinning at me with a mixture of lust and amusement.

The lust I saw reminded me to what Paine had said a while after we defeated Vegnagun when we were visiting D'jose temple after Gippal and I had another spectacular argument.

Paine just smiled that enigmatic smile of hers and said "Something tells me you two have a lot of repressed sexual tension."

Of course Gippal laughed and I was mortified. Horrible, horrible friends that I have keep doing this to me! Why? what did I do to deserve this?

He keeps doing this! Not the...um....not anything that he was doing now, but, he loves to embarrass me and make me squirm.

As it was, this was his daily does of "Pick on poor Rikku"

I just stared up at him and said "I _will_ murder you one day Gippal."

His smile widened, and he shifted so that he was holding both me hands with one of his, and bent down and whispered in my ear as he ran his free-hand down my body and on to my thighs "Should we get hanky-panky, Cid's girl?"

He was doing this to make me squirm. And Spira, it was working. My blood rushed to my face and a part of me wanted desperately to say yes ( a very, very, very, _very_ small part).

He must have noticed my abrupt change of color, because he started chuckling, and had no notion to get off me.

So with my hands and feet currently out of commission, I did the only thing I could do.

I tried to bite him. He burst out laughing when he figured out what I was doing.

heh heh, I guess my story is turning out to be a little bit more interesting then we both anticipated.

He shifted again, bent his head...........

Do I have to tell this part too?

Damn you.

And he kissed my neck. First thought was: what the hell was wrong with him.

And then I found it very hard to think at all. He wasn't just _kissing_ my neck, he was nipping at it, little bites and such.

I couldn't help it, he caught me off guard, I tilted me head back, and he enthusiastically roamed my neck with his mouth.

Oh dear father, if only you could see me now.

Bad Rikku. very bad. You shouldn't have let him do that. you shouldn't.

I acknowledged that Paine was right, we did have some(okay, a lot of) repressed sexual tension between us.

I'm not saying that out loud though.

He pulled away and got off me. I didn't know whether to feel relieved or disappointed.

Then he smiled and said "Now you have to take me with you."

Well I handled it very calmly I should think.

__

"What?"

"C'mon, Cid's Girl, Let me come with you"

__

"No."

"yes"

__

"No."

"I'll tell everyone what you let me do to you tonight." Gippal grinned wickedly.

"You-you-you little--!!"

He didn't wait for me to say anything, he just pulled me to him and ravished my mouth.

Before I knew it, I was reacting with him, matching him kiss for kiss, and bite for bite.

Damn Paine for bringing such bad thoughts into my innocent little mind.

I tore my mouth away from him and glared, trying to look intimidating with my clothes mused from lying on the floor and my lips swollen.

"That will _Never_ happen again" I all but snarled at him.

"Can't make promises I can't keep sweetheart." He grinned. "you better let me come with you, or else I'll tell them about this too."

I glared at him "I hate you, you know that?"

"Is that a yes?"

"No"

"hmmm....." He reached out for me again and I scuttled out of his way, but he followed me and grabbed me.

He put his arms around me and bent his head towards my neck and pressed a kiss there.

"Can I come with you, Cid's girl?"

"No."

He bit my neck, then licked it. I whimpered.

"Can I come with you Cid's girl?"

"_uuungh..._No" Why in Spira Couldn't I push him away?

He tilted my head back and nibbled on the place where my neck meets my shoulder.

"Can I come with you, Cid's Girl?" Damn you, Gippal, _Damn _you.

"ungh......Fine...."

He pulled away, grinning more like an idiot. I wanted to kill him I really, really did.

So that settled it. We were off.

we argued about his clothes, he told me he was fine with what he was wearing, I told him it wasn't and to stop being an ass and just listen to me for once.

He gave me a break, I think it was because of the kissing thing.

So he changed, Now dressed in a tight black shirt with some light metal coverings his arms were almost bare, He had on metal tipped gauntlets and two mettle bands strapped around his upper arms with an odd looking symbol on it and he was wearing a metal laced collar to protect the veins in his throat . He was wearing black pants with lots of belts cris-crossing around the waist and a lot of zippers and pockets to hide his knives and Guns (Knives being his second favorite weapon to use) .

He looked really hot. It wasn't fair.

I asked him if he was going to miss the Tri-counsel meeting he just smiled and said "Nadahla is taking over for me, the Machine Faction has everything they wanted discussed already, and the only thing left is digging rights in the desert. Since Nadahla is in charge of that operation, I figure she'd do a better job at convincing people then I would."

I rolled my eyes. "Translation: You got lazy and decided you didn't want to deal with more Tri-counsel meetings and send someone _else_ to do it for you. Lazy Bum"

Conversation stopped after that and I was left to my thoughts. I was wondering why he kissed me. And after poking and prodding and finally threatening to tell horribly embarrassing stories about him to the next pretty girl he tries to impress, he told me.

He laughed and said "Blackmail. It was the only way I knew you'd let me come with you."

That hurt. It really did.

I kept telling myself that he was a jerk, and that I shouldn't bother to feel this hurt, or, _betrayed_.

Because to him it was the ticket out of the Tri-counsel meetings. Away from all that work.

Heh. I should be used to stuff like this. It always happens to me.

When I was younger, 14, the year before I went as a guardian to Yuna, I liked this boy, Sohore, I guess it was because he was the only person who actually thought I wasn't just a little kid. He treated me like an adult, respected me. I told him of my feelings, and he seemed okay with it. I was happy.

I should have figured out then how stupid I was. The next day, I came to see him, I wanted to surprise him with something I had made, from spare machina. I thought he'd like it. So I went down to the Oasis where I we usually went to meet up. I was early.

He was with another pretty girl, I recognized her, Bancala. She was also a friend of mine, and a couple of guys.

He was making them laugh. With the feelings I had told him the day before. He was mocking me. Telling them that I was just a silly little girl who wanted things she couldn't have. And then Sohore kissed her. He kissed Bancala. In full view of everyone in the Oasis.

That's when I promised that it would take more then a pretty face and a good attitude to win me over. I threw away my gift to him. Just lobbed it in the water. It's still there you know. When we went with Yuna to Bikanel Desert, we found a treasure chest in the water, and there it was, not two feet from it.

Kinda symbolizes it, my relationships.

Bound to hit rock bottom.

I won't let Gippal hurt me like that. Even though he's probably to stupid to know what he just did.

I walked in silence. Occasionally stopping to beat fiends into the ground. After a while he asked me a question.

"So....uh, where exactly are we heading?" Gippal asked, throwing in his charming smile.

"Where _I'm_ going is none of your business Gippal. Where _you're_ going is to D'jose Temple. Where ever else you decide to go is your business." Oooooh. I danced inwardly. _Take that you stupid Meanie._

He blinked. Once.

Twice. Three times. Then shifted uncomfortably.

__

Yes, squirm, Gippal. Squirm.

My story. Mine. Not anyone else's.

"Hey, uh....is something wrong?"

__

........and they call me clueless....

"Nothing's wrong Gippal. Everything's juuuuusst peachy keen" I applauded myself on how calm and not the least bit sarcastic I sounded.

I'm currently forming a plan on how to get rid of Gippal. I should head to D'jose Temple. Bingo! Light bulb!

Okay. Here's the plan:

1. Go to D'jose Temple.

2. Make sure there are people there (people who aren't very talented with Machina. People who were diggers preferably)

3. Break something (shut up. It's not childish.) to the point where no one can fix it but Gippal.

4. While he's busy consulting and getting the details on what happened, discreetly walk out the door (Discreetly! no one must _see_ or_ hear_ you Rikku, my dear)

5. Run like a Chocobo on speed.

6. Make sure no one (like Gippal) comes following me.

7. Do a wild and crazy victory dance when I'm far enough away. And then run like a Chocobo on speed again.

There. I'm proud of my plan. Yessiree bob.

That's mean to leave Gippal behind, you say? Well frankly I don't care.

..............ever wonder why people say "frankly"? Who was this "frank" person and why do we use his name.....?

Okay, erm Off track. Anyways, he brought this on himself. If he tells people what happened between me and him, I'll just deny it. And no one will believe him.

Yep. When the going gets tough, deny, deny, deny.

I ignored him most of the way, only stopping once in a while for a round or two with some fiends who obviously didn't know who was boss. It was pretty much an easy ride from Mi'ihen Road to Mushroom Rock Road. That's when I ran into some problems.

When were came to Mushroom Rock Road, Gippal thought he would say "hi" to the people in the Youth League. So I let him. I went checking out The Den of Woe.

Yaaaay, I might get rid of him before that.

Then there he was. The cloaked thing that I bumped into on the way to Luca. I couldn't see his face. But I could hear his voice in my head.

__

Hmmm. So it chose you, little warrior.

I blinked. "What?"

He motioned to my sword.

__

It chose you, you are the one to bring back, or abolish the Dreams.

More blinking. "Sorry, I don't understand what you're saying."

__

Two years ago a Dream took on the form of a boy. The boy was given the mission to wake up the Fayth. To have them stop dreaming. In return for completing his mission he was given a boon, the fayth gave him life for completing what the fayth had wanted.

I gasped. "Tidus....."

The figure nodded.

__

Unwittingly, the dream boy caused an Unbalance. He awakened another dream. A boy who shared his face.

I knew who that was too. "Shuyin?"

__

Yes. This boy further disrupted the unbalance. Calling for the spirit of his lover.

"Lenne."

__

Every dream has a price. And the dreams awakened will slowly devour this world. It has already begun.

Because I couldn't stand it anymore I asked it. "Who are you?"

__

I am a Dream. You wanted a purpose, little warrior, it has been given to you.

"Waitwaitwait! How do you know I can do this?"

__

The soulblade has chosen you. You wish to preserve this world, yes?

"Of course I do."

__

In order to do so, you must be willing to pay the price the dreams ask.

"And what would that price be?"

__

You. Your entire being. The price the first dream was supposed to pay. The fading forests is proof of the deterioration of this world. The fayth wish to dream again. But they are unable to. To build a wall of dreams. Seal themselves in their creation and dream without having to worry about creations like Sin, arising again.

"What will I have to do?"

__

Are you willing to give up everything you know? Everything you love? Everything you believe?

That kinda stumped me. "I don't....know...."

__

Once you feel you can. You will know what to do. Once you find something to sacrifice yourself for, you will understand. 

I should tell somebody. Really should.

__

No one must know but you, little warrior. As the first dream brought by the fayth knew he had to return. You need to return as well.

"You mean...I'm a-"

__

Dream. As children of reality can be born in the world of dreams. The children of dreams can be born into the world of reality. Eventually they well have to return to where they were meant to be. It is your time, little warrior.

He Vanished. Again. More like faded away.

I was shaking. I-I couldn't stop. How was I supposed to take this? Ironic isn't it. I always thought that Tidus and I had a lot in common, our demeanors, the color of our hair, the fact that we both love water.

I guess we have more in common then I thought. I'm a dream. Destined to fade as all the other dreams had.

But I don't _wanna_ be a dream.

I'm going to fade. I guess that doesn't really change things, other then the fact that I'll disappear when It's all said and done. I guess it doesn't matter, does it.

I guess I'm pretty composed about it now because of the shock. I have to sit down.

My story is a little bit more shock, packed then I thought it would be. Damnit I will _not_ cry!

"Hey, Cid's girl, lets go." I heard from behind me, I swiped my hand over my eyes, and made sure I wasn't looking at him, and sniffed.

"okay, let's go."

"Something wrong?"

__

Yes, Yes! _I just found out I am a dream by a little alien thingy that has no gender. Stupid man, get with the program._

I guess ripping on Gippal was one of the things that could make me feel better. It doesn't change my resolve to lose him at D'jose though.

"No, Gippal. Nothing's wrong"

Please Let nothing be wrong......


	5. It's all in the Game of Love

Eh heh heh heh heh heh. Thank you to all the people that reviewed. I feel really inspired by all of you, and wish to thank you for your patronage. So to reward you all, I'm giving you another wonderful chapter.

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Dream A Little Dream

Chapter 5: It's all in the Game of Love

Tra la la la la. Hello, back again I see? Heh, you just can't get enough of me can you? Nothing much happened. Well aside from the fact that I found out I was a dream, like Tidus was before he was given life as a reward.

Erm I guess....being a dream is my reward........?

Even though it feels nothing like one. But what can you do?

Pop told me once, when I had broken one of the machina I was so excited in building, he told me "Rikku, you, can go ahead and cry, go ahead and scream and rant, and whatever the hell you want to do to vent your anger. But that won't change the fact that it's broke. You wanna do somethin' about it, find out why it broke, find out how to fix it. It's a hell of a lot better way to spend your time then screamin your lungs out. Besides it'll keep you quiet."

Yep. That's Pop's all right. Never one to sugarcoat anything. Even to his precious little sunshine. Heh, it's probably one of the only good pieces of advice Pop's ever gave me.

The others were all like "Don't ask me about your womanly things. Do I _look_ like a damn woman to you?"

Pop's, heh heh, gotta love him.

I was leaning on a boulder, we were still in Mushroom Rock Road. It'll take us about, ummm.....maybe two hours to get to D'jose? Probably.

Gippal is talking on a commsphere right now. I don't know who he's talking to, and I didn't even know he had one on him.

I really didn't care who he was talking to, until I heard one particular voice.

"Gippal, this is Brother, can you hear me? Gippal. Gippal!"

Oh dear Spira.

"You're a little to loud Brother." Gippal said.

Before you knew it, one of my shoes was off and I was holding it near my head, ready to throw at any given moment at Gippal.

I heard some scuffling noise in the Commsphere and I heard a very familiar lukewarm female voice.

"Get out of the way Brother, before I have to hurt you." Paine. uh-oh.

"Heh heh heh, checking up on me again Paine, Shucks, I didn't know you cared." Gippal said, with a charming grin. Idiot.

"I don't. I just wanna know why you bailed on the Tri-counsel."

"Uh alternate plans" Good, I might not have to hurt him.

"Where are you?"

"I'm here in Mushroom Rock Road, with Ri--ow!" oops, I spoke to soon. Now I was one shoe less then I had started out with.

"Re-ow? What?"

I glared at him from where I was, second shoe in my hand, ready to be fired.

"Uhhh, It's nothin', A cat that's all."

"Who's with you?" Paine asked suspiciously. I glared at Gippal.

__

Go ahead, hotshot, just try _and tell them who you're with._

He glanced at me, and grinned. "No one's with me Paine, you're just jealous that you don't have my freedom."

"Whatever. See how you act when Nooj hears about this, loser."

"Ooooh, I might just have to tell Baralai that you're being mean to me" Gippal smirked, a wicked gleam in his eye.

Paine and Baralai?

Ha ha! I _knew_ there was something between them! Victory dance for little old me. Gippal's talking again.

Erm....tell me why I'm waiting for him to finish again?

Right, so I can lose him in D'jose. right.

You wanna know something funny. After I found out I was a dream, it kind of put me in a brooding mood. I kept thinking, if I disappear like Tidus did (assuming I _do_ disappear,) how will everyone take it?

I guess since no one loves me like Yuna loved Tidus, then it probably won't be so bad. Right? Right?

I started walking forward to retrieve my shoe ( didn't wanna be shoeless) after Gippal was done talking.

We hadn't really been talking. I had other things to worry about at the moment. And so did Gippal as it seems. Since I'm a total snob and listened in, I found out that a faction in Bevelle still had a thing of hate for the Al Bhed. Not the Faction that Baralai runs, of course. But another faction. Seems that they broke off from Bevelle and demanded that the Al Bhed shouldn't be aloud in any of the temples, much less take over one (D'jose). Gippal wanted to make sure that they reserved their rights to the temple.

"We have better use for it then those damn Yevonites!" I heard him practically spit when he was talking to Nooj.

Wow, I always thought that Gippal was such an easy going (idiot of a) person. Now I found out that he has a dark side too? Ooooh, I _am_ learning new things.

"Hey, little girly, something steal your tongue, you haven't been speaking to me lately." Speak of the Sin re-incarnate.

"I just don't wanna waste my melodious voice talking to you, that's all" I said cheerily.

I heard him hold back a snicker. "Who says it's melodious?"

I wanted to beat him with a stick. And unfortunately, since there were no stick handy at the moment, I settled for sticking my tongue out at him.

He glanced at my tongue and then stared at me for a moment with a odd look on his face (odder then usual). Then glanced away.

Woah. what was up with him? Oh well. Not my problem if he decided to suddenly become constipated.

Determined to ignore him, I began to walk towards D'jose temple.

On our way there, he and I began to argue about different things again. I don't really remember, what it was about, (we argue about everything) but I heard an elderly woman chuckle behind us.

We both turned around and we see this grandmotherly woman standing there smiling, with a man behind her that I presumed her husband.

"Forgive me, I couldn't help but notice your bickering. You remind me of me and my hubby when we were your age"

Erm..... "Oh no no no no no. we were just.....um..." Damn. I really should think before I say anything.

The woman laughed, it sounded like it was forced and turned to Gippal "Your wife is charming." she smiled.

__

Whaaaaaaaaaaat? Back up. _Wife?!_ Of _Gippal?_ You have _got_ to be _kidding _me!

No No _No_! Old woman! You've gone_ senile!!_

Just as I was going to vehemently deny anything between the idiot and me, Gippal grinned.

A huge "aw-shucks" grin that always seems to knock out the steadiness in lesser woman's knees. Pathetic woman. Falling for heathens like Gippal.

Predictably, the old woman nearly swooned. I would have smacked him if she did, because she probably wouldn't be able to get up.

He smiled and said "We're on our way to our honeymoon." He put his arms around me. Protectively. Possessively.

Note to self: Change D'jose plan. Do not cleverly try to ditch Gippal. Just beat him into unconsciousness with the nearest Machina available and leave him there. Preferably near death.

The old woman laughed, it sounded so I don't know fake?. "Ah to be young, and in love....." She glanced at her husband and they both grinned knowing glanced at the both of us. "And to have a nearly insatiable sex drive....."

May I just say that whenever I'm with Gippal the world suddenly seems to turn on it's ass?

I was mortified and I wondered if it would horrify the old woman if I decided to murder my "husband" in front of her.

I glanced at her. She was smiling.

Yes, she would be horrified and probably scared to death.

Sigh, and yet another one of my life long dreams dies.

Gippal laughed. He winked at the old woman and quite publicly(perhaps to prove the old lady right)proceeded to grope my butt.

Hmm. Is being eaten alive by Lupines painful? It is? Oh hooray.

I moved closer to him and hissed. "Get your hand off my ass right now, unless you want to lose a very important part of your anatomy."

He smiled at the old woman and leaned closer to my ear, and said very quietly and, in a very serious tone that was so unlike Gippal "They're from Bevelle."

I froze. What?

I took a closer look at the old woman and her husband. Her eyes were a little to friendly, and perceptive. Every once and a while she'd straighten her back, as if to stretch, like it was paining her to hunch the way she did. He husband did this too. The wrinkles on her face were a little to healthy looking for someone as old as she was. And then I saw it. The tiny Bevellian crest on necklace she was wearing. There was a Snake winding around the emblem. That was new. The Bevellian crest doesn't have a snake.

Then it clicked. They were from the new faction of Bevelle. And Gippal had said that they didn't allow any old people to join, as it would hinder the possible take back of D'jose.

__

Great, absolutely Disasteriffic.

I glanced back at Gippal, he was talking conversationally with the woman, all smiles and charm.

His muscles (as he was still holding me) were tense. I'd known him long enough to know that he wanted to get out of there.

He was _so_ gonna owe me after this was over.

He glanced at me as I took hold of his hand and squeezed. I looked back to the old woman, who was watching us closely and smiled.

"I'm very sorry that we have to leave. But we have to get to the Moonflow before dark so we can get to the other side. We're already two days behind since the boat from Kilika got delayed." I was a practiced liar. Lying to Pops about me not fixing things for him helped. (wanting to do stuff and doesn't have a clue what he's doing....that's my daddy.)

"Besides" I dropped the tone of my voice, and looked up at Gippal, "we don't want to be behind our _honeymoon_, anymore then we already are.......as it is, we have a lot of catching up to make up for the two days we lost...." I fought down a blush.

Gippal kept smiling, but I heard his heartbeat quicken. He was shocked, heh heh heh.

I guess I was too. I didn't recognize my own voice.

It sounded seductive......sexy.

I was loving the reaction I got from Gippal. Ha! You're not the only one who can melt knees, buddy!

I felt so feminine at the way he was staring at me. It almost made me want to kiss him senseless.

And then I mentally slapped myself and got over that carnal urge.

"Alright, sweetheart. Say goodbye to the nice old couple." Gippal said.

"Goodbye, nice old couple." I said obediently.

They laughed. For the first time, it sounded genuine.

And we left again. And thank Shiva, they didn't follow us.

After we were out of hearing range Gippal sighed with relief. "Damn, I didn't think they'd send people there so quickly....."

He glanced over at me and his dark, beautiful green eye darkened some more.

"Nice going back there, by the way" He said, eyes dropping to my mouth before they flickered back up to meet my eyes.

It started to rain all of a sudden, and we blindly went and found a cave near the walls of Mushroom Rock Road (there were a lot of unexplored caves here) to get out of the rain.

Once we were inside I glared at him. And turned up my nose.

"You _so_ owe me"

The next thing I know I'm slammed up against the cave wall, lifted up, his hands under my butt my legs automatically going around his waist with him staring down at me.

"Let me demonstrate my gratitude"

Oh no, he wasn't doing _this_ again. I looked up at him staring at his face to tell him to take his gratitude and shove it up his ass, then I looked into his eyes.

They didn't look like Gippal, they looked hungry, and wild, and dark, like he was trying to restrain some monster dying to get out.

Weakly I said to him. "Gippal.....put me down...please?"

Instantly, as if a gallon of cold water was splashed on to him, he let go and backed away. Rather painfully I might add, having nothing to hold on to, and my legs still around his waist, we fell.

And landed in a very....erm...awkward position. Me straddling him.

My faced must have look like an overripe tomato. Why, _why_ do these things happen to me? _Why_?

Gippal stared at me, his eyes darkening again. and laughed wickedly. "I didn't know you liked being on top. I would've accommodated you earlier if I knew"

__

That, that, that-**jerk!!**

I should just kill Gippal and leave his body in this cave, no one will know.

No Rikku, no, wait until D'jose.

But I don't _wanna!_

Great, now I'm talking to myself. How could this day get any worse?

I whacked Gippal's head. And was very satisfied to her him say "Ow!"

I got off him and huffed. "I'm not talking to you."

"Awwwww......C'mon....don't be like that Cid's Girl" Gippal said.

"What part of , '_My name is Rikku'_ don't you understand?"

He grinned.

It was almost physically painful, to actually _not_ hit him. Deep breaths Rikku.

__

Breathe in, breath out. Inhale, exhale.

I realized just then.

We wouldn't make it to D'jose without me killing him.

Oh dear.

The real question is.........Will anyone find out if I do kill him?

__

What? Do you expect me to feel regret for a guy who teases me to no end? I don't _think_ so.

So oh well to him.

hmph.

TBC

Blurred fate here people. Hello. How are you? Um...I know that I might have made Gippal seem like a jerk. But I promise you, He'll be a lot nicer in the Next chapter. Until then read and review.


	6. Of Memories and Heart ache

Hiya! It's me again, and yet another installment of this beautiful brain child of mine. Hoping you people are liking what you're reading. From the Reviews I'd say that you are. And that makes it all better for me.

Hugs and kisses (read and Review!) and enjoy! heh heh heh I'm throwing Gippal some competition.

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Dream A Little Dream

Chapter 6: Of Memories and Heart Ache

We're _here, _We're _finally_ here!. I was just about ready to drop on my knees and kiss the ground with relief. D'jose.

I was seriously considering laughing like a maniac just to freak Gippal out when three Faction members came rushing out of the Temple. (I hesitate to say "Al Bhed" because they weren't, just members of the faction, horrible with machinery. Oh goodie!!)

I was ready to hug and kiss them all for not being an Al Bhed and being horrible with Machina, but I resisted.  
"What's up? We aren't having trouble with those damn Bevellian Assassins again are we?" Gippal said in a hard voice.

Whaaaaaaaat!? I didn't know it was bad enough that Bevelle was sending assassins! Damnit! No one _tells_ me these things!

"They sent three already" The chubby one said (he kind of reminded me of Ormi)

Gippal's eye narrowed. uh-oh.

"Yeah," The thinner one chimed in, looking all for the world like a little boy who wanted to impress his idol. "they were looking for you, sir! I tol' them, I says to them 'No, he ain't here right now', and they says, they says that they wanted to see you sir, and I tol' them, "Well you gotta wait cause the boss wasn't here right now", and they says, all nasty like(he took an excited breath and I stared at him in amazement that he hadn't passed out from lack of air yet) 'well that good fer nothin Al Bhed's gotta show his ugly face here sometime and _I_ says to him, well he ain't ugly, you should try looking a shoopuf in the eye and see if that don't render the poor creature dead, so he says to me, he says--"

"For Spira's sake man, take a breath before you pass out on the floor" The third one said, quite calmly. I looked at him, and tried not to swallow my tongue. Straight teeth, perfect smile, a dimple on his right cheek when he grinned that lopsided grin, gray-purple eyes. Lean yet muscular, tan, (obviously he'd been a digger, Probably from the Southern Expanse; they get more fiends there) dirty blond, disheveled hair , (boys, hmpth, they never use a comb), and his sense of style was to die for.

I discreetly patted my hair, and fixed my clothes (shut up, I'm not trying to impress anyone).

Gippal seemed to notice this and glanced at me (of course I was too busy trying not to lose my composure in front of what I was sure was a god.), he glanced at the last person who spoke, then glanced back at me, then glanced back at the man, and his eye narrowed some more.

If I didn't know better, I'd think he was near sighted and couldn't see the guy three feet from him.

"Faleron." Gippal snapped, (a little to sharp, the jerk). My god and future husband looked up, startled in to stopping his report.

He looked up (oooh, baby, give me some more of those pretty little eyes) and said "Yes, sir?"

Gippal's eye further narrowed. Seemingly annoyed that he wasn't intimidated by the guy. Then again, the guy was about an inch and a half taller then Gippal at his full height, and that seemed to infuriate him.

His eyes narrowed some more. I swear, with all the eye narrowing he's been doing, it's a wonder that his eye isn't closed yet. I tried not to snicker at the image of Gippal trying to look intimidating with his eye closed and failed miserably. A tiny giggle popped out.

Faleron's eyes snapped to mine (did I mention how _pretty_ his eyes were?) and he grinned at me, (oh, be still my beating heart). He acknowledged me with a nod, and I tried not to giggle at the computational wink he sent when Gippal flickered his gaze away fro a second.

Speak of Gippal, he glared at Faleron, glanced at me, and further seemed upset. He snapped out "How's the GTO012 doing? Is it finished yet, or do you need someone to show you how to screw the bolts in?"

Ooooooh, what a _meanie!!_ Faleron hadn't done anything! Why in Spira is Gippal acting like a someone shoved a stick up his ass?

Faleron seemed to take this all in stride, unfazed at the bad mood Gippal was in. "No sir, we finished it three days ago."

__

Ha ha ha! Take that Gippal!

He practically snarled, (not really, but that's what it seemed like) and said to the eager thin worker. "Gearchin, lets get inside, and I'll hear your report.(to the fat one) Matoto, give me the reports on the machina found digging in the desert, Faleron,(he practically spit out his name) go to Zanarkand, meet up with the Tri-counsel and Nhadala and assist her in gathering the parts we've been given permission to excavate there."

The thin one practically jumped. "But sir! I thought that was _my_ job!"

"Change of plans Gear. You're reporting." then he grabbed me by the hand and bodily dragged me into the Temple.

What in Spira is his _problem!?_

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A while later, after wandering around D'jose and being bored to death, I saw something behind High Summoner Bliafe's statue (he was the high summoner who was the first to summon Ixion, his son formerly known as Jasu, before he gave his soul to become an Aeon. Just like Seymour's mother did with Anima).

I looked behind it and found a Macalania crystal.

How did one get here? I picked it up, and a it was like a shock flew throughout my body. Convulsively my eyes closed and I shivered. Then I saw it, in some sort of lazy dream.

__

The City of D'jose. Burned down by a Sin who I didn't know. It wasn't Jecht. Somehow I just knew it. Screaming. Little girls screaming. Blood, so much blood. I tried to scream. My voice didn't work. I tried to run forward and help. My feet wouldn't move. I saw a little girl. No older then me. Standing up from the ashes of her broken home. Her body trembling. "Papa!" I heard her gasp.

Saw her holding her hands out desperately to a man standing before Sin, With a sword in one hand, and a Thundaga spell uttered from his lips.

"Get back Shiiara! Get Back!" He screamed. I heard the pain, I heard the panic of wanting his little girl to be safe.

"Papa!" I saw her run towards her father, not heeding his plea to run away. I saw Sin stare his many eyes towards her.

I knew what was going to happen next. I tried to scream. Tried to make her know just how much danger she was in. My voice was broken. No sound came out. I reached out to her, maybe, I could reach her. Maybe I could help.

I saw Sin release energy from those ominous eyes of his, or hers.....saw them head towards the girl.

Saw her father screaming at her to run.

Saw her standing there, frozen, unable to move.

Saw those beams of energy get close to her and----

.........tears. So many tears. So much pain. It made my heart ache. It was Spining, spinning. It was called Spira. The spinning spiral never to have been disturbed. Never to be altered.

I saw a bonfire. I saw Summoners sending loved ones, friends, innocent people whom they didn't know. I saw them crying as they sent. Sobbing and wailing heartfelt tears for the families and friends of all those sent today.

I saw the father. Saw him hold his broken little girl in his arms. Saw him weep. Saw him rant.

Saw him pray. Beg, not to Yevon, but to the dreams, and fairytales his beautiful little girl loved so much.

He wished Sin would never return. That the dreams that created him unmade him. Wished that his little girl lived again, to be strong enough to fight Sin and win. Strong enough to make sure that no one forgot the horrors of these dreams.

And So, the Fayth granted him this wish. That someday, his little girl would be born again. As a dream, in the world of Reality. To be strong enough beat a greater evil then Sin.

And so, satisfied. The father was able to let his little girl go.

And The City of his Dreams, D'jose, was shattered that evening, decimated by the passing storm that was Sin, left him alone, without the little sunshine that was his daughter.

And for the first time in his life. He lost all hope of happiness...

That night, the Temple of D'jose was erected, as a reminder of what happened that day. For the people who died.

And the people who lived. To never forget.

I got a good look at her. Shiiara, the girl no older then me, who died trying to get to the one person she had left, after her soul was sent, and before her body burned so they didn't attract fiends.

She had my face.

I stood there. Frozen. I don't know how long. I started trembling.

"....ku! Rikku!" I heard someone calling me. The Dream shattered. Like shards of a broken mirror, each piece held a different memory, all having pain.

All of people praying to dreams.

And then I woke up.

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"Damnit Rikku! Open your eyes!" Gippal's near frantic voice reached me. "Rikku!"

I opened my eyes. Stared at his worried ones. I threw myself into his arms and cried. Sobbing for all those people, even though the threat of Sin was gone. I cried.

I understood now.

Why Summoners did what they did. I understood. And that made me sob harder. I could guess that I surprised him. But only for a moment, before his arms went around me.

"Shhhhhh.....it's okay, it's okay..." He said.

__

Was it Gippal? Was it going to be okay? I had to believe it.

It _had_ to be okay. I wouldn't take it any other way.

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Three days we stayed in D'jose. In those three days I was trying to sort out my emotions. And believe me, it was a lot of emotions to go through.

Confusion, sadness, anger, depression, I could go on. But I'll stop.

I haven't seen Gippal around lately. Whenever I see him, he always throws me this I-have-a-secret-and-you-don't-know-about-it smile lately. It was really getting under my skin.

On a happier note, I butchered one of my belts. Well....I made it so the Macalania crystal would fit into the little hole. I made more holes for other Macalania Crystals that I might find. And something tells me that I'll be finding more.....

I looked in the mirror. I saw a girl with Shiiara's face. I had mostly gotten over the sadness and pain that I saw (mostly but not quite). And I guess I know what happened now.

Shiiara's father wanted his "daughter" to come back (in a sense) So he prayed to the fayth. The Fayth granted him this wish. That in due time, his daughter's likeness would be born, only there was a catch. She would be a dream, born into his world. The world of reality.

And so his daughter's likeness was reborn.

That's me.

Sigh, it was so much simpler when I didn't know what was going on.

Someone knocked on my door. I opened it.

Gippal. Drat, I really don't want to face him now. Although he looked particularly delicious today.

Don't _stare_ Rikku, it's impolite. Maybe if I looked away he wouldn't look so good.

I looked at the bed, looked at the clock, glanced at the floor. And then I looked at Gippal again.

Nope.

Still delicious.

Damn.

And he looked......nervous....?

"uh....hey....Can I...you know, come in?" He asked

I had to make sure my mouth didn't drop to the floor. _Gippal_. Asking _permission_ for something?

I had to fight not to pinch myself. I moved out of his way and gestured inside.

He seemed to be having an internal argument with himself. Finally he sighed, grabbed a box from the bag he was carrying. It wasn't a horrendously small box (I would have had a heart attack if he'd asked me to marry him, whether from happiness or horror, I don't know).

It was bigger. Like the kind of boxes that held little machina parts.

He thrust the box into my hands, then rushed out as if Shiva herself were threatening to freeze his behind.

I heisitated, stared at the box. Then opened it. A small machanical bird zoomed out and landed on my shoulder.

"birdie!" it chirped happily.

Looking at it, it looked the size of a slightly smaller falcon. Talons, made of tiny blue steel(one of the toughest metals to find) infused with a Bio spell, the supposed feathers were made of ice blue diamonds (I'm guessing for protective covering....?), I don't know how they manipulated the diamond to bend and tip like real feathers (although a very skilled black mage might have done it) there was a plume of odd gems on the head, and he tail was made of Icefire (something found in Macalania), that flowed like a pretty river. The jade green eyes shone with intelligence.

I stared at it. Not very many people would have the patience to work this kind of machina. So much beauty , so much power, in such a little thing.

Only very skilled Al Bhed could make this. I wouldn't have been able to make it if I tried. Who? _who?_

Gippal. This was undoubtedly his work.

Ridiculously touched, I tried not to melt into a puddle of useless goo on the floor.

Just when you think a guy like Gippal couldn't be anymore annoying and idiotic, he pulls a stunt like this.

__

Figures.

"Shiiara" I said. The bird blinked it's beautiful jade eyes (Very lifelike, I might add).

"Your name is Shiiara"

....Remind me to kiss Gippal the next time I see him.

Okay?


	7. Until High Tide

Oh! I love you all for your reviews! It's such an inspiration! I think I'll dole out another beautiful chapter!

R&R!!!

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Dream A Little Dream

Chapter 7: Until High Tide.

We were still in D'jose. Yeah, I know, I know, we should have at least made it to somewhere else right?

I guess it's because Gippal had things to do.

Yeah, I _know_ I was supposed to ditch him. But lately I've been tired. All because of that dream. I'll probably feel better later in the day.

It's three o 'clock in the morning right now. I can't sleep. I decided to go wander around.

So I got dressed.

I kinda feel sorry for Gippal. Well, not in a sense _sorry_ for him, just for the fact that he never seems to get a break.

I mean I thought following orders was hard enough, but giving them, and actually being responsible for the consequences it brings? I don't think I could handle that.

I guess that's another trait that Gippal and I share. We come from influential families (At least to the Al Bhed we were influential)

Pops was the leader of the Al Bhed, and Gippal's father was one of the best engineers in Spira. Great even for Al Bhed terms. His dad was good friends with my dad, that's how I knew Gippal so well.

Of course, when they did come back Home (they usually traveled a lot), he'd always go competing with my brothers. Brother (being older and more of a jerk), and Jerale (he was only about a year and a half older then me, more sane then Brother ever could hope to be, he was killed two years ago when Home was being attacked by Sin). I was always the odd one out. It sucked being a girl, being picked on by the boys, forced to sit inside and learn "proper" manners for a lady who was the "big boss' daughter" as the other Al Bhed would call me.

Of course that's when Mama was still alive. I was six and a half. Mama got sick (I think she was attacked by some poisonous fiend when she was digging, Pops said I'm like Mama in a sense that I can't sit still)-- anyway, she got sick, and didn't seem to get better.

She died three months before my seventh birthday. Pops was really upset(what did you expect?) so he buried himself in living Mama's dreams of excavating the best Machina we could find and create to protect Home. My brothers would further try to compete, to try to get they're minds off Mama.

Brother, Jerale, Pops. They all tried to cope with Mama's death in they're own way. Soon even my brothers were for the idea of excavating to find machina. Brother was to search for machina in Zanarkand (he was there when Sin attacked Home, or I think he might have been, I didn't see him during that time), Jerale was charged with keeping Home safe from attackers, and Pops came and went where ever and whenever he pleased. They were all really involved with it. So much so that they kind of forgot everything else existed. Including me.

Where does that leave me, you ask? I'll tell you.

Alone.

Not that I'm saying I blame them or anything. Because I know that they were just trying to cope anyway they could. I guess that's when I got close to Kaijere(Gippal's old man). He kinda took me in and taught me the ways of Machina. It's hard trying to have to fight for the attention of your father with your brothers and knowing that you'll come in third(not that I don't love Pops and all). I guess it's because of the lack of attention that I stopped calling him "daddy", it was either Pops or Old man from that point on.

I guess that's how I got to know Gippal better. When we were ten(He was eleven) Kaijere took us on a trip to desert. My first excavation. I remember Gippal going out to dig ahead of me(since he'd dig 'at least a hundred times before Cid's kid' he said), I was in the tent Kaijere had set up. He was explaining to me the procedures and all the other stuff I'd need to know to become a "damn fine digger". Next thing I know I hear yelling and fantic movements.

And then they brought Gippal in on a stretcher, one of his eyes bleeding.

To this day I don't exactly know how he lost his eye. And that's somewhat a thing of curiosity(but I never mention it).

Anyway never mind memory lane, it was still pitch black outside, and I've known Gippal for a very long time and I know that he doesn't like getting up early in the morning unless he absolutely _has_ to.(He'd get angry at me when I woke him up too early back when we were younger).

I figured this would be the best time for me to ditch him. I know, I know! It's horrible for me to do so when he made me my new companion. An exquisitely made Mechanical bird, named Shiiara(whom I nicknamed Kuppo, don't ask me how I got it, it's a looong story). I stroked Shiiara's head. Spira even the _feathers_ felt real(considering they were made of Diamond).

Something kept telling me that I should go. That every day, every _minute_ I spend here in D'jose is just shortening my time to actually find out the full story, of what I'm up against and what will happen when I beat it.

__

If I beat it, that is.

So I snuck out. Motioning for Kuppo to keep quiet. Once we were outside, I glanced back at the temple. I don't know why I felt like I was losing a best friend, there was nothing between Gippal and me, right?

I heard someone singing, very softly.

"Something 'bout the way you looked at me, made me think for a moment that maybe we were meant to be, living our lives separately.....and it' strange that things change, but not me wanting you so desperately......"

I looked around. There was no one there. I realized then, It was me singing. I don't know where the words came from, but they just kept pouring out.

"Oh, why can't I ignore it? I keep giving in but I should know better. 'Cause there was something 'bout the way you looked at me, and it's strange that things change, but not me wanting you so desperately. You looked my way and said "you frustrate me"........"

"That's a pretty song, Cid's girl. Who're you singin 'bout?" A husky male voice said behind me.

Damnit! Can't I even _sing_ without him looming over my shoulder?! (I refuse to say anything about how all the blood rushed to my face and they way my heart quickened)

I glared at him "I-it's not any of your business" _Shiva, could I **get** any more embarrassed?_

He grinned, his pretty green eye twinkling with amusement.

Huffing as indignant as I could get in such a flustered state I said "Are you _stalking _me? The Gippal I knew wouldn't get up before ten O'clock. Before then you had to dump sixty gallons of cold water to so much as get him to twitch"

He laughed. That husky, sexy laugh that always had me shivering(internally of course).

"Awww, you remember." He placed a hand over his heart and said "I'm so touched right now I could die."

"Please do. Right now." I snapped at him.

__

Oooooh!! _That-that -ugggh! does he have to look so good so early? What ever god or higher being up there in charge must hate me and is probably laughing his ass off at my distress._

Poor little Rikku.

He laughed again. "Is this any way to show gratitude for my gift?" He motioned over to Shiiara, who was currently perched on a rock, staring at us.

__

Gratitude he wants, is it? Well then gratitude he'll get.

Without warning I flung myself into his arms, kissed him fast and hard, and then pulled away and ran before he had a chance to react.

__

Bwahahahahaha! Rikku you are a genius, **genius** I tell you!

Bam!

__

I'm getting a sense of da'ja vu here. I stared up at him from my position on the floor and grinned sheepishly.

"Well hello Gippal, fancy seeing you here." I chirped.

He stared at me for a second, shook his head and chuckled. Getting off me, he offered me a hand.

I took it, and as he pulled me up. As he did I asked. "What are you doing up so early"

"I heard something, I decided to check it out. Thought it was some Bevellian assassins or something. I'm a very light sleeper, you know_" _he grinned at me.

I stared at him and arched my eyebrow. _Lightsleeper?_

He laughed as if reading my thoughts and said "Shut up"

I widened my eyes innocently and said, without any sarcasm. "I said nothing to imply otherwise."

But then I ruined it by snickering.

"Hey! I'll have you know things changed since we were kids you know!" Gippal cried with mock indignity.

"Riiight, and I suppose you have a better memory now?" I snickered.

He harrumphed and said in a mock serious tone. "I have _excellent _memory, why I can remember things three years ago, _ten_ years ago-----"

"What did you have for breakfast this morning?"

Gippal blinked. "uhhhh......."

That was it, I couldn't hold it in anymore, I burst out laughing. This is how it was like when we were kids. We always use to joke around like this.

I don't really want to say it out loud, but I missed the fact that I could talk so easily with him.

If I don't feel like I need to murder him, that is.

"Why are you following me?" I asked again, in a little more serious tone.

He shrugged nonchalantly, seemingly appearing as if he was at ease with the entire, but his shoulders were tense, and he had that guarded expression on his face.

"I guess I'm bored, I thought maybe it'd be more interesting with you." he said.

Did he really expect me to believe that? The way he's scratching his head and that sheepish smile on his face?

I don't think so. Lesser women might have gone all goo at the look he was giving me. But not Rikku. Nope. I've known you too long for that too work on _me_ buddy (many, many,_ many_ years of practice to become immune to that smile, by the way).

But out of the kindness of my little heart, I gave in.

"Fine," I said. We walked in silence for about twenty minutes, before I said.

"Gippal?" He glanced over at me and arched his eyebrow.

I smiled. "Promise me(I took a deep breath), promise me that when.........before we get to Macalania, in the Thunder Plains, that you'll leave?"

He stared at me. I think I might have imagined it, but I think I saw something akin to either defiance, or concern in his eye.

"Why?" He said.

What was I supposed to tell him? Sorry Gippal, it's been fun, but I have to tell you that I'm a dream and will most likely fade at the end of what I'm trying to accomplish. Yeah, that would bowl over well.

So I said. "Um.....I just have some things to sort out(which isn't a lie, I do have things to sort out) and clear my head on a couple of things, get some answers to some questions I've got." I wouldn't look at him. I don't think I could have looked at him at that point and not told him what was going on.

"What's going on Rikku?" He asked. He used my name. This means he's serious.

"I had a Dream.....and it kind of worried me" _Actually, it was more like the Dream had **me.**_

His face visibly relaxed. I guess it's because I usually do spit out things like this. Even as kids.

Like the boogie man, or someone who I thought was stealing my underwear(personally I think that was Brother), I always ran to Gippal. I don't really know why. He always laughed it off anyway.

"Don't worry about it, forget about your dream Rikku, let it fade then pretend that it never existed, that's what I'd do." He said.

I wanted to cry. At that moment all I was thinking about after he said that was:

**__**

I'm a dream Gippal. When I fade, will you pretend I didn't exist either?

I guess that's when I closed off any thoughts to actually tell him what was going on. To tell anyone what was going on. I don't think I could handle it if someone else I cared about had an answer like that.

Damnit. I don't _want _to care about Gippal. It makes things more complicated. It makes things hurt more.

But Damnit. I will be strong for me, I resolved never to let him find out about my feelings towards him. I resolved that a long time ago. I kept thinking he would laugh at me.

The Jerkface.

He probably _would_ laugh at me.

Jerkface. Bastard. Idiot. Jerk. Meanie.

I guess it's too bad I'm in love with him.

If I didn't then I could mean every word I say.


	8. Wait for me

Hello again. Sorry for the delay. I kind of had lots of homework the past few days and I was basically booked. But now I'm not. So here's another chapter.

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Dream A Little Dream

Chapter 8: Wait for me...

You know, sometimes life really sucks. Gippal and I were walking, on our way to the Moonflow. I was just trying desperately to forget my feelings for Gippal.

I don't think I'm in love with him. I _know_ I'm _not_ in love with him.

Yeah, Rikku. If you could believe that, then you're stupid.

Sigh. I won't tell him. I mean if he ever returned my feelings (which he won't) and if I disappeared (which I might), I might hurt him, and he'd end up grieving, he might do something drastic like try to bring me back (which he can't), so I'll just keep my lip zipped and not confess my undying love to him (okay, maybe "undying" is a little much), at least not to his face.

I programmed Kuppo to be my camera bird,(kind of like Paine was with Gippal, Nooj, and Baralai, only with wings) so she could document my travels, so that if I disappeared, and no body knows, they'll get the entire story.

Since I will loose Gippal and set out on my own eventually.

"You, okay kid?" Gippal asked.

I nearly jumped three feet into the air. Damn, I was zoning out again.

My heart was going a mile a minute when I answered him. My hand was over my heart and I said "_Geez _Gippal! What are you trying to do?! Give me a heart attack?"

He blinked, then grinned. Oh how I wanted to slap that grin off his face.

I might love him, but that doesn't make him any less of a pompous ass. The jerk.

I huffed, turned around and ignored him, and kept walking towards the Moonflow, I heard him chuckle behind me and I wanted to kill him.

Is that normal? To be in love with someone one moment and the next moment you're thinking about the most creative and painful ways to kill that same person?

It's normal? Oh, good.

Because I'm currently entertaining a dismemberment fantasy of a certain _someone._ Not naming any names or anything.

coughGippalcough

Anyways, skip that part and fast forward to the Moonflow. Don't worry, nothing much really happens before we get to the Moonflow.

Well, when we got there, I felt I had to get even with him somehow for scaring the be-jebbers out of me. So when we were standing near the shore, admiring the pireflies and the lilies that had bloomed , I did the only thing I could do at that time.

I shoved him. As _hard_ as I could. Into the Moonflow.

And then I ran, as fast and as far as I could, laughing like a maniac.

Then I had a light bulb. Ping! just like that.

This was it. This is where I could lose him. I know it sounds bad, but I just know that he had no intention of leaving, even when we did get to the Thunder plains. He was like that, he thinks he needs to be "oh mighty protector" to every girl he sees. He's _always_ been like that. So I'll leave him here, he'll probably forget about me anyway. I mean, there's a pretty red-head right over there. One look in those pretty blue eyes she's got, and he won't even remember my name.

It's true. But, I can't help but wonder, is stating his faults another way to try and get me to change my feelings for him?

Maybe. Maybe not. Something's just telling me that this is _my_ story, and that whatever happens, I gotta take this thing down on my own. What ever happens, happens, you can't change that. So I made up my mind to follow my destiny, whether I disappear, or whether I die. I part of me has to know if I'm even worthy enough to have a story to tell. Something aside from the little meaningless adventures little Rikku is known to have.

This is my test.

So I ran. As fast as I could. I ran to the Driver of the Shoopuf and practically hurled him on to the ride. I guess I wasn't very nice. I threatened him and his family(and his shoopuf) very painful deaths if he didn't get my across that Moonflow, pronto.

I was across in two minutes flat. It was kind of comical really. Seeing the shoopuf going across at extra, super, special shoopuf speed. It was pretty funny, and it was a great ride.

Of course, I felt very bad for the poor driver and his shoopuf, so as soon as we were on the other side I apologized for my actions and kissed the driver on the forehead.

Then I ran to Guadosalam.

Gippal was probably enamored with the red-head already. I was at a cross between thrill that I'd finally lost him, and disappointment that I succeeded

Oh well. I'm sure he has different things to do (being the leader of the Machina Faction and all) and that might keep him busy.

................Guadosalam sure is.....interesting. The musicians from Macalania are still here, playing that beautiful song. Every time I hear it, it never seems to get old, although now, it seems like a memory.

The music that is, something that I'd heard of a long time ago. Stupid right? I was shuffling my feet, and thinking when all of a sudden I heard someone say my name.

"Rikku?" A male voice said. I looked up, looked around frantically, panic setting in.

__

Oh dear Spira, had Gippal found me already?

Then my eyes landed on blond hair, blue eyes.....yellow clothing.

I nearly fainted in relief. It was only Tidus.

......And then I panicked again. _Tidus?! Oh no, Oh no, oh no nonononononononono!_ _Damnit! why do things like this always happen to me? What in Spira have I done to deserve this?_

I glanced around, trying to look casual, (And trying not to hyperventilate).

"Eh heh heh heh heh heh........uh, Hiya?" _smart Rikku, very smart._

Tidus grinned. "What are you doing here?"

Damn. What do I say to that? "uhhhhh....well-" I saw Paine come out of Leblanc headquarters, followed by Baralai, Nooj, My cousin (**_Help!!)_** and Leblanc herself, as well as other officials and representatives representing the races still working out their differences. (Ronso and Guado)

So I did the only thing I think of at a moment like this. I bent over, placed my hands on my stomach and cried "Ohhhh.....ugh.....you better get away from me, Tidus, my stomach is just killing me I might puke all over you...._uuuuuugh"_

So sue me. It was the best I could come up with on such short notice. I don't work well under pressure.

And yes, I did feel guilty about tricking Tidus. Especially after I saw the spark of concern in his eyes.

He nodded "Right, stay here, I'll get Yuna" an turned to walk away.

__

Beep! Beep! Beeeep!! Code red, code red! Abort mission, I repeat, **Abort **Mission!

I bolted upright and said very fast "Well what do you know, stomach's all better, gotta go, tell Yuna I love her, give my regards to Paine, Bye!!"

I ran like Sin himself was after me.

By the time I got to the Thunder Plains, I was ready to die.

Yeah, really. Just roll over and die.

But then that would be and anti-climactic end to my story, right?

Right.

So I'll be strong and live, even though I'll probably regret it tomorrow.

And then I heard someone call my name, again.

"Riiiiiikkuuu!!" female this time. Sounded like Yuna.

I heard her ask, "Are you sure you saw her, Tidus?"

__

Ooooh, Tidus ratted on me. Traitor.

"I'm positive" Was the reply my traitorous friend said.

__

Negative, Negative! I'm just a figment of your imagination!!

"Do you know where she went?" Paine's voice this time.

"I think she went that way" Tidus said, I couldn't see where he was pointing(it was getting me paranoid).

"Hey guys" A new voice said. Wait. I know that voice, it was Gippal. Damn, I really should have killed him when I got the chance.

"What happened to you? Why are you all wet?" Yuna asked.

I had to press my hand on my mouth to prevent myself from laughing.

"You look horrible." Paine said, I heard amusement in her voice.

"What are you guys doing?" Gippal asked.

"Looking for Rikku, Tidus said he saw her come this way." Yuna this time.

"She did, I just don't know which direction" Tidus said.

"Don't worry about it, I know where she's going" said the one eyed love of my life.

I willed him to suffer a momentary seizure and lapse into memory loss. I really did.

"Well, don't keep us in suspense, love, tell us where she's going" Leblanc. Spira, everyone is just interested in my life now, aren't they?

"Macalania" Gippal said.

There was silence.

Then, "But that place is disappearing, it's unstable" Baralai. Drat, just my luck to run into another tri-counsel meeting isn't it?

__

Blend in with your surroundings Rikku. Think like.....umm

I looked around. _A rock. Think like a rock. Think Rock thoughts. _I huddled down, crouching behind a large boulder.

_ Do rocks think?_

I would simply have to wait until they got to Macalania first. Then send Kuppo to give me the optic specs on their position.

Great, new plan established.

What could go wrong?

....Don't answer that.


	9. Oddly Disorienting Twists

Hello people. FF.N was being stupid right. so I couldn't update. But if you're reading this right know then I've probably updated. Kinda started late since I had so much homework. Anyway. Enjoy.

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Dream A Little Dream

Chapter 9: Oddly Disorienting Twists

Well.....two _wonderful_ hours have past. I'm still in the Thunder Plains, sitting behind a rock, too scared to go to Macalania because the entire brigade of Spira Big shots are there.

And yet, in all this commotion, I still can't help but wonder about the age old question:

__

Can Rocks think?

Yes, I think I might have blown off a screw in the head because I'm so nerve wrecked about this whole Macalania thing and all, but I _refuse_ to rule out the fact that rocks can't think.

I mean if Cactuars are smart enough to ward off ancient evil and form a nation, I think it's pretty fair to give rocks the benefit of the doubt.

Er. Anyway, yes it's been two hours. I've sent Kuppo up to Macalania with my screen grid to see what ever she sees. (pretty clever eh? I thought of it myself). I made tons of modifications to Kuppo, after Gippal gave her to me.

But anyway, I was sitting there, with my monitor and speaker (It's like a cooler version of sunglasses, only I can see things and places and communicate in them like a commsphere, heh heh, stylish _and _fashionable, I made them myself), listening and watching whatever was happening, waiting for the right moment to go into Macalania.

Kuppo was currently in Silent mode(one of many modes, this one includes being less sparkly and less noticeable heh heh, yet another modification for stealth purposes).

She was camouflaged against a tree recording the conversation.

__

Bzzzt bzzt

"Are you sure she was heading this way Gippal?" It was Baralai.

"Well, this is the only place the Thunder Plains leads to" Said Gippal.

"Gippal, do you know why she suddenly ran away?" Yuna asked. (I felt guilty cause she sounded so concerned)

__

"Don't have a clue. All I know is that she's acting weird. Weirder then usual, I mean" (Tell me again why I'm in love with this creep?)

__

"Quit trying to pretend you don't care Gippal, you were even more unbearable to handle when we found out that she ran away then Brother was" Paine. (He was? Really?)

__

"Only reason, that was, was because Cid would have killed me" (Creep)

__

"She wasn't your responsibility." Paine "_So you didn't have to worry about it."_

"Well-" Gippal started.

"Something's different" Tidus.

I saw everyone turn to look at him.

__

"What?" Yuna asked.

"I don't know. When I spoke to her, she wasn't as happy-go-lucky, I didn't think about it much, since we didn't say much in the first place, I though she might have just changed a bit, like you" Tidus said to Yuna

She smiled at him and he continued.

"When I first met Rikku, I met her before I met any of you, in the Ruins. I felt....drawn to her, that's the only way to explain it. But when I came back. She felt....different. I wasn't as compelled to be around her then I was before."

(woah, woah, Hang on a sec, are you saying that he was in love with me? that would have been a disturbing twist)

__

"What in Spira are you saying? Are you in love with her?" Gippal, (He didn't look happy, matter of fact, neither did Yuna)

__

Tidus put his hands up, as if to ward them off physically. "No! No no......I was never in love with Rikku. Ever" He added with emphasis.

Well that answered my question.

Gippal and Yuna relaxed.

__

"It's just that......" He sighed, frustrated "I can't explain it, it's like, I met her first for a reason. That we had something in common, I felt like, we shared a common bond or something......I don't know I'm just not explaining this well enough"

"..................Lets keep looking" Paine said, and they walked deeper into the forest.

Bzzzzzzt bzzzzt

I was stunned. We _did_ have something in common. We were both dreams. Was that why he met me first?

****

Yes.

Great, I'm hearing voices now.

I heard a chuckle, then I figured out who it was. It was that dream I met before, the one that doesn't have a gender? yeah, that's him.

****

You met him first because your essence were drawn to him.

Oooookay, yeah, _that _made sense.

****

You are a dream. He was a dream. Dreams are drawn to each other, Little warrior.

Really, is that so?

****

That is why, when he returned, when you found him again, he wasn't drawn to you anymore.

I got it. "He.....wasn't drawn to me...because he wasn't a dream anymore?"

****

Correct. Just like you were drawn to the second dream.

Er. Okay, lost me again.

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Why did the Ronso give the sphere that started the Summoner's Story to _you_, little warrior? Why you and not the Summoner?

......this was freaking me out.

****

Because instinct was telling him to give it to you. He might not have known it at the time, but the essence of that sphere, the essence of that dream craved to feel the essence of another dream. It worked through him, to get to you.

Woah, so I was the beginning of _both_ their stories? I feel honored. And loved.

.....and oddly, _used._

I mean, was I so insignificant that I was only used as the messenger?

Didn't I _mean_ anything to that to _anyone?_

I tried to shrug it off, but I couldn't help but wonder, if Pops was so concerned about losing his niece (Yuna) then shouldn't _he_ have been the one to tell her to try and stop her pilgrimage?

Bitter? Yeah, I'm a little bitter.

I started to wander back to Guadosalam. I know I meant to go to Macalania, but I'll just have to go there some other time, since I can't exactly go without having to explain myself, and since the dream had told me that no one was to know about this then I can't exactly tell them the truth, can I?

Soon I was back in Guadosalam, Kuppo was on my shoulder(I called her back from Macalania) and we were trying to figure out what to do next.

I glanced at Kuppo, "What an interesting twist in the road, eh, Kuppo?"

She tilted her head at me, her jade eyes unblinking. I buried my face in my hands and took a deep breath. "Where are we going next?"

I could feel her staring at me. This story of mine is getting more complicated by the moment.

"Zanarkand" I said. Kuppo tilted her head inquisitively "Everything starts in Zanarkand, everything ends in Zanarkand."

Why do I always choose places where I have to go very far to get to?

I have to pass by Mount Gagazet, I hope if I meet up with Kimarhi there then he won't go telling Yuna.

Although I'm sure he'll understand. I'm getting nowhere staying here avoiding people, off to Gagazet.

I ran out of Guadosalam, although I don't know what compelled my to run, I just ran.

It felt good to run, like I was running away from all my problems, running so fast that they could never catch up to me again.

I lost myself and can't find it again. I have to try.

Because every second that passes, I feel like a part of my soul is being ripped apart.

****

Hurry, little warrior, you're running out of time.

Don't mean to pry or anything, but _what_ I'm I trying to save people from?

****

Time.

Yeah, great, why do I get something as pathetic as _time_? _Tidus_ got Sin, _Yuna_ got Vegnagun, and what do _I_ get?

__

I get _time_......

Oooooh, watch me shake in my well fitted shoes. Poopie.

****

The Fayth want to dream again, little warrior, and if they can't retain balance, Spira itself will be thrown into chaos. It will disappear, crumble, like Zanarkand has.

Okay, I'll shut up now.

Sheesh, you don't have to bee so crabby.

Yeah, this is going to be a loooong Journey to Zanarkand.


	10. Mission Accepted

Ooooooooh! I love you all for reviewing! Love Love Love! And for that I'll dole out a super extra special chapter to all you wonderful, wonderful people! Enjoy!(and review!)

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Dream a Little Dream

Chapter 10: Mission Accepted

You know.....after a wile of walking, all you want to do is die. Did you know that? My feet's sores have sores. I'm in the Calm lands right now, still trying to make my way to good ol' Zanarkand.

Right now I envy Kuppo. She can fly, not having to worry about her poor feet cause she doesn't use them.

Sigh, I guess I should fill you in on what happened when I left Guadosalam. I was still talking to the Dream, he explained all the details needed to fulfill my mission.

He said (queue Ominous voice) **In order to right the balance of this world, you must seal the gates that link to the fayth.**

Yeah, of course, I had no Idea what he was saying. So I took a wild guess. "um....The Temples?"

Ding, ding, ding, ding! Guess what? I was right.

****

Correct. The Chamber of the Fayth in the temples are the gates. The Fayth's power leaks through this world from there.

So I have to close them. Easier said then done.

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The sword is your key. The Imbalance caused by the dreams, The creature called Sin, and the Machina known as Vegnagun, have caused the gates separating these worlds to disappear with their guardians. The sword will turn into a key, use it to seal the Gates.

Okay, basically, do you remember in Tidus's journey, when we had to go into the chamber of the fayth to get the Aeons? Those things in on the floor of the temple were the barriers, and Shiva, Valefor and the spirits of those aeons were it's guardians.

But the imbalance that was caused by Vegnagun, the Gates and they're Guardians disappeared. (sad right?)

So now I have to seal all those gates again. All of them, to retain balance.

But there's a catch.

By sealing those gates, I'm closing my connection with this world.

The gates were supposed to be closed when Yuna let the Aeons go free. Up till then, there was always at least one gate opened so that Summoner's could draw on the Fayth's power to summon Aeons.

I'm a dream. I need the power of the Fayth to survive as much as Tidus needed them to be solid in this world. When I close those gates, I can't stay in this world anymore.

I don't exactly know if I'll disappear, or I'll die......maybe I'll return to the Fayth....

Tough decision, huh?

I can leave the gates opened and stay in this world. I don't have to say goodbye to my friends, I can pretend nothing bad has happened.

But can I be that selfish, to let this world fall into chaos, just for my sake?

No.

So I agreed to do it. Maybe because it's my story, maybe because I wanted to show everyone that I cared enough of the people in Spira to save them from oblivion.

Ironic isn't it? An Al' Bhed, hated by the majority of Spira up till two years ago(and even know people still hate us) saving the very people that hated and tried to destroy us from Chaos and death.

And the funny thing is, No one will know what happened.

I'm the only one allowed to know what's going on.

Heh. I wanted to be a part of something. I am now. And I refuse to have any regrets about the decision I made.

So where to go......The place where all the temples were.

Lessee.....:

Baaj Temple (Where Yuna got Anima)

Macalania Temple ( Shiva, The dream Said he'd resurrect that for me from under water)

Besaid Temple (Valefor, eek Wakka and Lulu, and possibly Yuna)

Remiem Temple (The Magus Sisters, Calm lands, That stop is first)

The Cavern of the Stolen Fayth (Yojimbo, Second stop)

Palace of St. Bevelle (A.k.a Bevelle Temple)

D'jose Temple (Drat, I have to go back there?)

Kilika Temple (Ifrit)

....eight stops. Eight stops until I vanish, or die, or whatever....... Might as well enjoy it, right?

Right.

No Pessimism allowed. I'm in the Calm lands right? Heading off to Zanarkand, I'm heading to Remiem Temple, that's the first thing I have to do.

But first thing's first, I have to get a Chocobo. And then Something to eat, I'm starving.

"C'mon Kuppo, lets get some supplies."

You know, walking all the way across the Calm Lands alone with no one else is kinda lonely, that and the fact that I have to face all those fiends alone. But I guess it's a good way to take out my anger and frustration that this mission was given to me.

You're probably wondering how I can stay this happy when I'm about to throw my life away.

I guess I'm not really throwing my life away, I mean, it's for a good cause, right?

Bwahahahaha! I'll be the Silent Savior of Spira. Try saying _that_ ten times fast.

But seriously, I'm very skilled at being happy. I guess it's something I had to develop to cope with everything else.

Had to be happy when Mama died.

Had to be happy when Pops, Brother and Jerale, were too buried in what they were doing to notice me.

Had to be happy when I found out that Yuna was planning to throw her life away.

Had to be happy when we found out she decided to marry Seymour (eeeew)

Had to be happy when Home was destroyed. When at that time, the majority of Spira still hated the Al 'Bhed.

Had to be happy again when facing Vegnagun.....

See? I'm an Expert. I guess this should be a piece of cake.

To tell you the truth.....

I'm Scared.

Really, really, bone-chillingly scared of what will happen to me when I close the Gates. But I won't cry. It won't change anything. Funny how I disregard myself in everyone else's eyes. It seems like they never knew me. The real me, without the laughter and bubbly-ness(even though that's just a part of me that I'm not willing to give up, it's just one facet of me).

Gippal once said, as a joke. "You know Cid's girl, I just noticed. The way you walk, the way you think. It's not consistent. You think like a pauper, and walk like a Queen"

I think like a Pauper, and walk like a Queen.

Damn Straight. It's not like I feel the world doesn't owe me happiness for what I've done. I guess doing this kinda is just.....what I was meant to do...does that make sense?

Mama said that I should always try to change the world for the better. That's one of the few things I remember about her.

Change it for the better. Even if you have to give your life, your soul and everything you love. So that the people you care about don't have to worry about something bad happening in their sleep.

Great, I'm being all sad and stuff. sorry, I kinda lapsed into a sad mood right there.

I can't help but wonder how everyone else is going to take it when I go away. I wonder if they'll remember at all.

Then there's Gippal.

Maybe it's a good thing that he doesn't know how I feel. I mean it would only complicate things, right?

Have you ever wondered how you ever came to love someone? Have you ever wondered that it might be easier to not be in love with that same person. I feel like that sometimes with Gippal.

Maybe that's why I'm so desperate to stay away from them.

From everyone. Maybe because I know if I see Gippal again I might want to abandon everything I'm doing. (Shocking that I'd be willing to give up saving the world for that jerk, right?). Just so that Idiot could mock me and have absolutely no clue about my feelings. That's how guys are completely clueless.

Besides, If I did decide to not save the world(which I won't) Then I would probably spend my entire life trying to make Gippal fall in love with me. Yes I'm like mama in the fact that I was willing to give up everything for her man.

Mama was the one who put the moves on Pops, you know. Pops always said that Mama and I were alike personality wise, Once we wanted something, we would hunt it ruthlessly until we got it. That's how mama finally convinced Pops to marry her. Yep. Mama was the one who proposed. My old man was taking to long to build up the nerve to ask Mama to marry him. So she got impatient, and threatened if he didn't marry her, or at least ask her to marry him right that instant, she would go to Kaijerie, Pop's best friend(Gippal's Father) and marry _him_ instead. Of course she didn't mean it, but it scared Pop's enough to pop the question right where they were standing. Mama always was really strong. Sometimes I wondered why she married someone like Pops.

heh. I remember when I was a little kid and mama was still alive. We were at Home, I was sitting on Mama's lap and we were watching Pops putter around in the new Machina that Mama had excavated, he'd try and fix something, only to end up zapping his fingers and he'd end up swearing up a storm. Mama would just laugh, shake her head and look at Pop's with that gooey expression that I didn't understand.

So I asked her. "Mama, why'd you marry Papa? He's not very good at fixing machina. And I don't mean to be mean or anything, but he's kinda clumsy, and he isn't very romantic, I thought that's what all girls want, romance and strong men"

I'd never forget mama's answer to that. "Don't you see it, sunshine?(That's what she always called me, because my hair resembled sun beams....or something like that), Your Papa _is_ a strong man. And yes, lots of regular girls want their man to be romantic and good at stuff. But not me. Give me my own clumsy Cid and I'll be happy." She looked at him again, and she forgot that I was even in the room. Even when she started speaking again, her eyes were trained on the man she loved so much. "He's not romantic, I'll give you that, and he sure can't fix machina any bigger then his fist, but he makes me happy, sunshine, I look at your daddy, and it's like any bad day I'm having goes away. He makes me laugh, makes me happy, and, you might not understand it right now, little sunshine, but that's all that really matters when you're in love."

Then she snuggled me close and said "C'mon little sunshine, let's go help your daddy before he burns his hands off."

I wonder, if I'll ever get a chance at that kind of love, knowing that I probably won't be in this world long enough.

No regrets, That's my promise to myself. I guess this whole story thing of mine got me thinking of things I didn't think I would be thinking about.

Heh. It kinda blows my mind that I can be so In depth in things, and not in others.

I was near the tent now going to buy supplies when suddenly I hear a voice behind me.

"Eh? Rikku? what're you doing here?"

Uh-oh.....

I spun around.

"Unnngh......Hey...Shinra.....um...are you here by yourself?"

"No, actually I'm here with Brother, we came looking for a guy named....what's his face? Doliga"

Ack _Brother_, was here?

Drat. Why do I keep running into people? Can't I finish this mission alone, _without_ running into people?

"Rikku!? I will be pounding your butt into the ground once I get out of this!!" It was Brother

I turned around. Only to see him tied upside down near the tent.

I looked at Shinra. "What happened to him?"

"He got a little to excited and he wanted to find Doliga, he was jumping around and breaking people's merchandise. So they tied him up so he wouldn't break anything else, as it is we already owe them around 3000 gil."

I winced. Well. I should run away right now.

"Cid's Girl. You have a lot of explaining to do. Start talking"

__

Damnit!! Can't he just roll over and _die_ right now? Please?

I prayed that Gippal, who was undoubtedly standing behind me, would suffer a tragic concussion on the head and loose his memory of me.

Nothing happened.

Figures.

Nothing _Ever_ goes my way.


	11. Little Slips, Lots of Trouble

Hello again people, my adoring reviewers. I love you all. Really I do. And it makes it all the more fun to write chapters to see how you all would react to it. And I kinda took some stuff from full metal Alchemist, just so you people know.

So please read and review!

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Dream A Little Dream

Chapter 11 : Little Slips, Lots of Trouble.

You know, I really do think that no one in the great beyond likes me. I really, really, _really_ don't think anyone up there likes me.

Damn you Powers that be!

I shake my fist at you!

Well....you know, actually, I don't, since people would think I'm in need of therapy if I shake my fist at nothing.

I barely resisted the urge to stick my tongue out at them instead. Gippal was talking.

"Hey, Cid's girl, you listening?"

No, not really, why, do you have something important to say?

"I'm talking to you, it isn't polite---"

Nope, Nothing interesting at all. Thus I shall further ignore you, and Shinra, and Brother, and whoever else is with you at the moment.

I walked over to the Bazaar, intent on ignoring them all(yes, I'm trying the cold shoulder kind of thing), grabbing my supplies, then heading off to Remiem Temple.

As it was I was avoiding even looking at Gippal, Brother, and Shinra. Hopefully they'll get a clue and leave me alone.

"Damnit, kid, _listen _to me!"

Hmmmmm, I frowned at the deplorable amount of High-potions the woman had to offer me. "Pardon me for asking, but, do you have anything other then Ethers? Um.....How about some Antidotes and maybe some components to create Frag Grenades, some bullets too, maybe? "

I was wearing my Gunner dress sphere, better to take out fiends from far away, then risk them poisoning me, besides, I wanted to be far enough to get away if I needed to, and close range combat is harder to get away from fiends(they tend to follow you)

She glanced over my shoulder, no doubt to look at Gippal, who was, no doubt fuming at the cold shoulder treatment and glanced back at me(that's right lady, _I'm _the paying customer here).

"Hold on one minute please, I'll see if we have anymore High Potions, I'm pretty sure we have Components for Frag Grenades, and our bullets are right here."

She showed me a large selection of bullets, from a glass case. "Just pick which ones you like and I'll get you however many you need"

How many do I need? Considering I'm going into Fiend infested temples? A lot.

Good thing I stocked up on Gil, got all my savings, so money isn't really much of an object (plus I get the oooh- is-that-a-guardian-of-lady-Yuna-discount)

I looked closely at the bullets. And frowned when I saw a particular one.

"Is that an Alchemy Bullet? I thought those things were unusable by regular Alchemists. Further more, aren't they _illegal?_" I asked.

"They are, We're just trying to get rid off all of them, special discount if you're planning to buy some. It's not like you can use them for anything other then regular bullets nowadays" The woman said, her voice muffled as she shifted through the stocks.

I suppose you're wondering why Alchemy Bullets are illegal. Okay, There are two types of Alchemy.

Regular Alchemy, which goes in dealing with mixing together ingredients to get something new (Similar to Chemistry) That kind of Alchemy is used by Al Bhed everywhere. Nothing Dangerous. The most dangerous it can get is if you mix two things together that don't belong, and you end up with Goo. So it's not really a big deal.

Then there's Forbidden Alchemy. Which deals with making something from nothing, Creating, changing, destroying. For lack of a better word, something like sorcery. It deals with Runes, and symbols, and all that stuff. Like making glass dolls out of paper. Extremely dangerous, something goes wrong, and you'll end up floating with the pyreflies. They say that fiends are made up of Pyreflies, and that pyreflies are made up of people's souls. There's an incantation that is said to revert fiends into their original forms, people that have passed away. Can you imagine that. dead people walking? I guess you can, (Seymour and Mika and all) But yeah. Something like that.

How do I know this? Well, I used to look at books of Forbidden alchemy when I was a really little. I understood every word of it. No one else did. I guess it was odd. I guess the Dream must have re-awakened some deep memory of me being a great alchemist in my past life or something, because I understand all there is to know abut alchemy now. Kinda freaky.

I stared at the Alchemy Bullet, I knew that each bullet had a different symbol, that no two Alchemy bullets were alike, that only the most skilled alchemists could create them. I forgot everyone who was around me. I was just staring at that mesmerizing metal. I thought of all the wonderful, and horrible things that Alchemy could do. I could use this. It's not like I had anything to lose, right? Besides, Alchemy Bullets were supposed to be extremely powerful. Rumored that if handled correctly, one bullet could take down entire armies. Kinda hard to imagine huh?

I glanced up at the shop keeper, who was still puttering around the shop, looking for all the supplies I had asked for.

"What is wrong with Rikku, Gippal?" I heard the voice of Brother, demanding from Gippal.

The shop keeper glanced up from the list of supplies I had made for her and smiled at me, "Anything else you need?"

"I need twelve boxes, relatively large, of your regular bullets, um...nine boxes of your spell attachment bullets, I think I might need at least, four medium boxes of your hard shell bullets. And Alchemy Bullets. Give me all you've got."

She stared at me. Wide eyed in shock. Yeah, I had bought enough Ammo to wipe out all the fiends from here to Zanarkand, and possibly to Besaid.

She seemed to regain her composure, she cleared her throat. "Do you need a New gun to go along with that?"

Heh heh heh, I felt like one of those bad girls you always see in Sphere Theaters. The ones with deadly calm and they buy cool weapons and stuff.

I resisted the urge to pull out my sunglasses just to feel more into the part.

Then I thought about what she said. I guess it would be nice to have a pair of new guns. Since my current ones weren't very good. They tended to overheat after a few rounds, causing me to burn my hands if I wasn't careful.

"Let me see what you've got" I said cheerily. She looked nervous now. I fisted my hands so that I wouldn't give in to the urge to spin around, grab the nearest person by the shirt and say "You feelin' lucky punk? Well, do ya?"

Shopping for supplies shouldn't want to make you act like those bad girls in Sphere theaters. Bad Rikku, Bad.

She came back with case of guns. All of them were very pretty. Well made too. But one pair caught my attention.

It was Silver, sparkly silver. An black opal carving on the side in a symbol.

I recognized that symbol from conversation I had with The Dream, it flashed in my mind once or twice when we were talking.

The symbol of the Fayth.

"That one." I said, pointing to it.

The woman stared at it, and frowned. "Odd....I don't remember having anything that looked like this in stock.....hmmm....must be a new model..."

She looked at me again. "Oh, and if you're in anymore need of....um....Alchemy bullets, we can send them to you anywhere. Here" She gave me a necklace. "A tracer necklace. So we know where to find you if you need more."

I laughed. "You really want to get rid of those bullets don't you?"

She looked sheepish. "To tell you the truth, they creep me out."

After I got all my stuff, I loaded two Alchemy bullets into the slot. (I had more Alchemy bullets then I could carry, So I bought a backpack to carry my ammo, a small one, in the shape of a Moogle. Cute!!)

I turned around to walk out of the bazaar when strong arms grabbed my shoulders. I blinked. Gippal? He was still here?

Opps, must have slipped my mind. Ignore him Rikku. Ignore him.

"Damnit Kid, what's up with you?" He shook me.

Do not strangle him Rikku. Especially not with that nice shopkeeper looking.

And how dare he call me "kid" when he's only a year older. I should hit him. But no. I will just freak him out with my silence.

I stared at him. Silent. He stared back.

And a staring contest ensued.

I felt my lips wanting to twitch dangerously. I wouldn't laugh. Damnit. I was always horrible at staring contests.

"Why are you avoiding m-Us?" Gippal said.

Did he almost say "me?"

Nah, wishful thinking.

Finally I snapped. I said the first lie that Came to my mind.

"Because I'm looking for the Man I love, okay?! Back Off!!"

He let go of me, shocked.

"W-what?" He asked startled.

Then his eyes narrowed slightly, and a suspicious twitch to his jaw, like he was ticked off.

"What?" he said again, this time in a dangerously low voice. Damnit, how does he manage to sound both sexy and threatening?

"WHAT!?!" I winced. Nice going Rikku, say that while Brother is within Hearing range.

I glanced over in the direction Brother was in, Only to see him marching his way over, Shinra, and Buddy, trying to hold him back, each holding one of his arms, their shoes were digging into the dirt as they tried to stop him from coming closer. Even with the two of them, Brother was still dragging them.

He was waving his finger like there was no tomorrow, I was surprised he didn't poke someone's eyes out. As it was, the shopkeepers were hurriedly grabbing their merchandise and scurrying out of the way of destruction.

"_Rikku! _ Who is this man you are in love with. Where can I find him. I will rip out his eyes, And then run him over with the Celsius" Brother said. Still waving his finger like it was a weapon. It was comical, really, watching people duck behind things to avoid getting any of their vital organs impaled by said finger 

"Who is this man you are in love with? Tell me!"

"Yeah, Cid's girl, do tell" Gippal asked. Arms crossed, looking for all the world like he didn't care, there was some emotion in his eyes that I could figure out though.

Who am I in love with?

_Wouldn't you like to know?_

I stared at Brother who was making his way closer. If he got close enough, he'd never let me go on to find the gates.

At least some of the braver shop keepers had thrown themselves at him, and were also trying to hold him back. One of them on his back, and two of them on his legs. One on each leg. Still being dragged.

Gee. I didn't know Brother was that strong. I did the only thing I could thing of.

I pointed the gun towards them. Time to try these babies out. They were the Lowest grade Alchemy Bullets, something to distract, and hold back, not used for attacking. If it were high grade, there wouldn't be anything left of them.

I imagined a cage. Something that would hold them until......I glanced at the sun. Tomorrow

Something that would hold them until tomorrow morning. That should be enough time right?

I fired. Brother's eyes widened as the bullet came racing across the Bazaar towards him. He didn't know anything about Alchemy, so of course he'd be scared (Alchemy? Riiight, the guy set his hair on fire trying to boil water. The hair that you see now is a result of what's left, and what will grow back, he always says that the mo-hawk is something of his traditional style, don't believe him. The rest of his hair won't grow back cause he burnt most of it)

Just before it made contact, the symbol on the bullet flashed in the air in front of them, and a glowing symbol on the ground. It exploded. And when everyone opened their eyes again, Brother, Shinra, Buddy. and the three shopkeepers were in a metal cage, completely unharmed.

I took advantage of everyone's surprise and awe, and ran as if my life depended on it. Where was a Chocobo when you needed one?

Run run run run run run run run run ruuuuuun!!

I heard footsteps behind me, Gippal. For sure.

I Thought of sticky goo that would hold you in place for an hour or two. I shot behind me, didn't even look.. Kept running.

I came to the Chocobo Ranch. I stopped. I needed a chocobo to get to the Temple, anyway.

I leaned down against the wall, completely out of breath. Closed my eyes, took a deep breath.

I felt a shadow in front of me, I didn't open my eyes, It was probably just Clasko.

I felt hands brace themselves on either side of my head.

My eyes snapped open. Oh no. It was--

"Gippal" I gasped. "What-what are you--"

He bent down, close to my year and said the one thing I wish I hadn't done, if I did it right, he wouldn't be here right now, he would be stuck in a puddle of sticky goo.

He nuzzled my ear and said, in that quietly seductive voice that made me want to hit him. I would kill him, just you wait.

I would kill him until he was very dead, and then I would feed his remains to the adorable chocobos in this ranch.

"Rikku" He said. "You missed."

He is _so _going to die. Mark my words. Die very painfully.

"Um...." A nervous voice said.

I glanced u_p. _And was mortified to find Clasko staring at us, as well as a bunch of Chocobos.

I pushed Gippal away from me. And unconsciously fixed my hair.

"Oh...um....Hiya...Clasko" Damnit, Gippal got me flustered again.

Gippal's eye narrowed at Clasko. His arm went around my waist.

What was his problem.

"Is this the guy?" Gippal asked. What was he talking about? And why was he staring at Clasko like he wanted to murder him?

I blinked.

He thought I was in love with _Clasko?_

I very nearly laughed hysterically right there.

All I could do was stare at him in shock.

Then I got an idea. A very brilliant, not- so-nice Idea.

I pealed Gippal's hand off my waist, walked over to Clasko and gave him a hug and a peck on the cheek.

Clasko's cheeks look like they exploded with overripe tomatoes. And Gippal was looking Murderous.

Oh this was gonna be soo much fun.

Poor Clasko.


	12. He loves me, He loves me not

Hello people! I am very glad that people are enjoying my story. I'm very glad. Sorry that I wasn't able to post this up sooner, my teachers have decided to be very evil and load me with homework. Yes, it's tragic. But hopefully the Valor and honor of good will win out and they will cease to give me as much homework.

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Dream a Little Dream

Chapter 12 : He loves me, He loves me not

Did I tell you all how _wonderful_ life is?

I didn't?

Well then. Life is _fabulous. Wonderful._

For those of you who already don't know, or have just recently decided to join us, Gippal thinks I'm in love with Clasko.

And I have absolutely no problem with letting him think that.

Unfortunately I don't think Clasko very much appreciates it. As it was, Gippal's been sending Clasko evil, "I-will-kill-you-in-your-sleep" glares. Which is entirely amusing for me.

Of course it would be too much to assume that Gippal was _jealous._

Did people like Gippal _get_ jealous? But see, if he were jealous, it would mean that he actually _felt_ something for me besides what I think he feels.

Which he doesn't. So him being jealous is completely far-fetched. Right?

Right?

Right.

At the current moment, Gippal was trying to bore a hole into poor Clasko's skull. I wrapped my arm around Clasko's shoulders(oooh, I'm evil) and smiled at him(Clasko).

More for moral support then anything else. But I don't think Gippal took it that way.

His eye narrowed, and his hands clenched and unclenched, almost if they were itching to wrap his fingers around someone's neck. He had absolutely no right to do that of course. He was just being a baby.

"Clasko?" I asked Sweetly.

Gippal nearly snarled. His hand going on the hilt of his gun. Uh-oh.

Should I be worried?

"Y-yes?" Clasko said, somewhat unnerved by my actions, and the way that Gippal was looking at him.

"Do you think I could borrow one of your higher level Chocobos?" I said cheerily.

Clasko's eyes brightened at the prospect of discussing Chocobos.

__

Honestly. He would probably _marry_ one of his chocobos if he had the chance to. Er. And if it weren't totally disgusting.

"Sure, I've been feeding one of them some extra special greens, a cocktail that I mixed myself, she's absolutely beautiful, do you want me get her ready?" He asked, almost with a painful eagerness that made me feel slightly embarrassed for him.

Poor boy must not have had any friends when he was a child.

"Yes, please" I gave him a tight, grateful hug for being so amicable. He scurried off, cooing to one of the chocobos following him.

See? Now why can't _everyone_ be like that?

Gippal had taken his gun out and was now calmly loading it. He was humming tunelessly to himself. Almost happily.

It scared me. "er......Gippal?" I asked, cautiously, afraid that he'd busted some brain circuit in all his scowling and stuff.

He looked at me. Went back to loading his gun.

"He's too fat for you." He said nonchalantly. "And he's short." He frowned.

"He also seems to be lacking a couple hundred brain cells." He added, almost as an afterthought.

I blinked. Well. That was completely random. Clasko wasn't in the _best_ of shape, but he certainly wasn't fat. Short, yes, and he wasn't exactly the brightest star in the sky, that was for sure.

"I should put him out of his misery" Gippal said, locking the bullet shaft, and clicking off the safety.

Eeeeeeek! He couldn't-- he-he _wouldn't!_

........_would he?_

He turned around, making a motion to follow the way Clasko had gone, still humming tunelessly.

I grabbed him. "Gippal, please don't hurt him."

I didn't want to have Clasko's death on my conscience because I wanted to get Gippal off my trail

He turned to me. His eye unreadable.

He stared at me. Watching me with that pretty eye if his, reflecting the light of the torches and also burning with some strange emotion I couldn't read. I was kind of scared at the moment. Not of Gippal.

To me, no matter what he did, he would never be able to scare me. Startle me, yes.

Embarrass me? To no end.

Make me feel all tingly and warm even as I wanted to strangle his neck? All the time.

But scare me? No.

I was cared for Clasko. Of what Gippal might do to him. I've heard stories(eavesdropped on Paine and Baralai, and Nooj as they recollected about past events) about Gippal.

Through them, I learned more then I wanted to know. That one moment he could be the easygoing, annoyingly cheerful person I knew in my childhood.

The next second he was a cold-blooded soldier.

I didn't know what he was right now.

He was still staring at me. Probing, questioning..

It made me feel naked.

I didn't like it. The way his eyes kept sending unwanted shivers up my spine.

He leaned close to me, he lips only a breath away.

I knew he was about to kiss me, and at this point, I was too shivery to stop him. I don't think I wanted to.

He leaned closer, I could feel his breath, and then--

"Okay Rikku, everything's ready. Were you going to take....I'm I interrupting something.....?" eeek!!

Clasko was back. And I was mortally embarrassed. I tried to move away from Gippal, but his arm snapped around my waist and clutched me close to his side. He glared at Clasko again.

Spira, if looks could kill......

For Shiva's sake, did he _have_ to so warm, and comforting, and strong?

No. _No Damnit. _He didn't.

But he _was_. Stupid Jerk and his manly manliness!

I could see his hand, twitching back to re-grab his gun (He put it down in the throes of our almost passion).

My hand snapped out and grabbed his hand, which was across his stomach. Did he have to have so much muscle?

__

No.

Why couldn't Gippal have been born fat, bald, and missing teeth?

He glared at me. I glared right back. What was promising to be an interesting glaring contest was interrupted by Clasko

"Erm, Sir?" He asked Gippal. Gippal looked at him, his expression changing from murderous to potentially hostile curiosity.

"Yes?" Gippal answered, through slightly clenched teeth.

"Will you be going with her?"

Gippal's eyebrows shot up.

I wanted to grab Gippal's gun myself, and shoot Clasko at the moment. But I valiantly resisted the urge to do so.

"Well--" Gippal started.

"No, he won't, But thank you for asking Clasko, it was very considerate of you." I said.

Gippal glared at him, then turned his glare on me.

"I'm Coming." He stated flatly.

"No." I stated just as flatly.

He tried another tactic.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

Oh no buddy, you aren't going to find out where I'm going. Not that easily.

"Luca" I lied.

His eyes narrowed slightly. Suspicious.

I shrugged. I had to get rid of him. He wasn't supposed to know.

"Clasko?" I asked, ignoring Gippal. I peeled him away from me. "Can I speak to you _alone,_ for a moment?"

Gippal snarled that time. Really, like a wolf. snarled.

"Uh....sure Rikku-"

The next thing I know, Gippal had Clasko by the neck, pinned to a wall.

__

eeeeeek!!

I lunged forward and grabbed Gippal's arm.

"_Gippal!_ Put him down!"

He wasn't listening. Ack I had to do something before Clasko ran out of air.

I grabbed Gippals face and kissed him.

Believe me, It surprised me just as much as it surprised him.

Why was I kissing Gippal? Didn't I promise myself that I wouldn't do anything to make him suspect my feelings?

So why was I kissing him? Right, to save Clasko's life.

I heard Clasko gasp, and choke and breath in coarsely. Deep shuddering breaths. I heard his armor (Lot of good that did him) clank gently together as he slid down to the floor.

I assumed Gippal let him go. There were....one....two arms holding me. Yep, Gippal had let him go.

Right at the moment right now, he was thoroughly engrossed in attacking my mouth. Invading it with his tongue, nipping, and biting, and basically raiding my lips with his.

It was possibly the most carnal kiss I had experienced. I'd be lying through my teeth if I said I didn't like it. His hands were everywhere. I couldn't bring myself to pull back.

But I did. Against the odds. against what my body was tell me, against what my heart was telling me, I pulled back.

It broke my heart.

"I'm coming with you." he said with determination. The light in his eye brighter then it was before.

I closed my eyes and I knew what to do. "Okay." I said. Looking at him, I smiled.

"Why don't you go get another Chocobo?" I said, he nodded, and walked away.

Let me just make sure Clasko's okay "I'm really sorry about that Clasko."

Clasko grinned sheepishly, "It's okay. I've never seen anyone who looked so jealous, I should feel used." He grinned. "But I don't"

__

Jealous? **Gippal?** Impossible.

"You're wrong Clasko, buddy boy. He doesn't get jealous"

Clasko made a sound that sounded suspiciously like a snort. "whatever you say Rikku."

I could feel Clasko watching me as I took out my new pistols. I started loading them with low Level Alchemy bullets. I didn't want to use the Medium and high level ones just yet. I didn't need them at that moment.

I took a deep breath and started walking towards Gippal. My pistols still in my hands, loaded. I hated myself for what I was going to do, but I couldn't let him follow me. I wouldn't put his life in possible danger because of me. He was petting a chocobo. Clasko, who stood behind me, I could feel all his negative thoughts about Gippal(possibly thinking he was a mean, scary jerk) fade away.

You can tell if someone is a good person by how they treat a Chocobo. Clasko had once said to me. He was right.

I motioned Clasko to gradually shoo out the Chocobo so only Gippal would be left in the stall.

I raised my gun. Thought of an iron cage, unbreakable. To hold him for the night, and all through late in the afternoon tomorrow.

I swallowed. He turned around. stared at the gun. looked at me.

"...Rikku...?"

Shiva it hurt. I didn't want to do this. I felt like I was betraying him.

"I'm sorry." I whispered. "I'm really, really sorry, I hope....when this is all over, you'll find it in your heart to forgive me."

And I fired.

I didn't look at him, I knew he was in the cage. I knew he was trapped. I knew I'd made him feel like I'd betrayed him.

I took the Chocobo Clasko silently offered me. And I got on.

It maybe was the fact that this was an omen that Gippal and I would never be together. Maybe it was an omen that I wasn't meant for this world.

Maybe I was just growing up.

Or maybe it was because of Gippal's voice, calling out to me. Hurt, betrayal, and(if you can believe it) concern, calling out to me that had me riding out as fast as I possibly could.

The Chocobo, sensing that I didn't want to stop, shot forward and ran like Sin himself was on it's very heels, all the way to Remiem Temple.

It was then, when I was at the entrance of the temple, I allowed myself to cry.

I wanted my story to end right there. If I had to push away the person I loved just so I could save the world from time. Saving people who would probably be happier if the Al Bhed were gone.

But Stronger voices kicked me in the butt. I heard my mom's voice. Remember what she said to me after she had saved Pops from a particularly nasty Machina .

__

"Doesn't matter if you die, little sunshine, when your daddy was out there, about to get cut in two, I couldn't let something I could stop take my man away from me, now could I? I wanna protect your daddy, even though the silly man thinks he can protect himself. When you find love, I hope that someone is worthy enough that you'll be able to give your life up, just to protect him. Just like I would, for your daddy."

I _have_ found him, Mama. I thought.

Suddenly, I felt better. I didn't feel bad anymore. I was protecting someone I loved. Just like I protected Yuna.

This was what I was gonna do. My story, I'll see it all the way through.

With or without a happy ending.

Damn straight. And when this is over, I'll be happy.

It's all in perspective you think of.

And if by any chance Gippal does find me again. I'll just have to strangle him.

er....Or do the same thing I did now.

I smiled. Or I could say something that would probably stop him in his tracks and have him shocked for long periods of time. But I won't. It was just a thought.

What would I say?

Simple. The Truth,

But I'll never say it, at least not out loud.

Never say

__

I love you, Gippal.


	13. Moombas, Magic, and Mayhem

I Love you all! Love you love! You have truly made me feel all warm and special inside. Thank you!

I love you for all your reviews and praises, I'm practically glowing. So here's a chapter.

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Dream A Little Dream

Chapter 13: Moombas, Magic, and Mayhem

I have to tell you right now. I haven't been to Remiem Temple in two years. And even then, I wasn't too fond of it, but I went through it for Yuna's sake.

But Now I'm back. The Torches that had one kept the temple burning is now out.

So naturally. It was dark.

Look to the left. Dark.

Look to the right, oooh, darkness.

Straight ahead, more darkness.

Yeah, so you get the picture, it was really dark out. I couldn't see the nose in front of my face. Mind you I couldn't exactly see the nose in front of my face unless I went cross-eyed. But that's beside the point.

I don't like the dark. Makes me feel all vulnerable and such.

Anyway, I thought of Light, and torches an more light, and then I fired my gun. Light exploded in the torches. Oooh, I felt accomplished.

I tried not to think about Gippal.

I still felt kind of bad about it.

Kind of?

Riight. I was on a Damn guilt trip.

I wondered if he would know what was going on. I knew he would suspect something. I mean, he wasn't stupid, and I didn't know if he might have suspected where I was going.

Between you and me, I kind of wished he did find me and try to stop me.

I have no desire to Disappear. I mean, I was only 17!

There was so much I wanted to do.

I want to start my own Machina business somewhere.

Which reminds me. I wondered what happened about the issue with Neo Zanarkand.

I told you about that, right?

Some people in Yevon want to restore Zanarkand to it's prior glory. Personally, I think that's a bad idea. To try and rebuild something that was the cause of Sin? Just so shortly after we beat him?

That just spells out trouble. With a capitol "T"

T-r-o-u-b-l-e.

yeah, you get the point.

Did I mention how creepy this temple is?

I'm standing in the chamber of the Fayth right now. I have absolutely no idea what to do. None whatsoever.

All I see is a big hole where the Fayth's seal should be. Mind you, we couldn't actually have access to this temple because it required a chocobo's assistance, so we couldn't use it to get to the Farplane.

But....I don't know what to do.

And then I heard it. A little scratchy noise somewhere behind me. eeep!

__

There is nothing scary behind me. There is nothing scary behind me, there is nothing--

I turned around, gun ready top shoot.

Eeeeeek!

It was so CUTE! A Moomba! I only thought these were only in stories.

It was orange, and absolutely adorable.

__

cutecutecutecute.

Of course.....I feel like I'm running a mini petting zoo.

I looked at Kuppo, and then at the Chocobo staring intently at the Moomba. And then the Moomnba itself.

Yep, Mini petting zoo.

The poor thing looked like it couldn't walk anymore, it looked so hungry and weak, Brother always said that I'd feed anything cute and take it home with me. So sue me, it looked absolutely adorable with it's cute big eyes

I couldn't let it starve to death! That would be heartless of me.

"Kuppo, will you unpack some water and some food from the Chocobo?" I picked up the poor malnourished Moomba and carried it over to the Chocobo, while Kuppo unbuckled some of the supplies. A water jug, and Some Lucan Beef and some dried Paupo Fruits(fruit found on Besaid). (Yummy)

I fed the Moomba, still thinking about how I could seal the gate.

Hmmmm. The dream said something about the sword. What did he say about it. that it was the key, or something i don't remember.

I stared at the hole. Watching it, maybe some thing might help me.

---------------

Two hours went by. And I'm Still here, in this stupid, stupid, _stupid................... thing_!

Blah! Finally I snapped. If I have to do this thing _seven_ other times......ooooh, okay, so I'm not really a patient person.

I threw my sword into the stupid hole.

Admittedly, it wasn't the smartest thing to do. The dream told me that the Macalania Crystal that made up the sword was made out of Petrified Pyreflies.

Pyreflies! I don't exactly know how I would take it if someone I knew was in the sword. Just in case you didn't get that, I think it's time for a history lesson.

Ahem. Gee, I really wish I had a pair of glasses to make me look smarter.

Er. Anyway.

Pyreflies naturally want to go closer to the place where the Fayth's power is the greatest. And naturally the place with the greatest influence of the Fayths power would be.....

You guessed it, Macalania. It wouldn't be fading if the Fayth hadn't stopped dreaming. So when it started fading, the pyreflies, who relied on the Fayth's power, couldn't anymore, so they basically, almost literally froze in place.

Creating metal. Or crystal. Or whatever it is.

So now. With my sword in the _Stupid_ hole, I don't know what to do.

Yeah and _who _threw it in the hole?

Shut Up.

Then I heard it. The hymn of the Fayth. I didn't think they played like that anymore. Then there was this Crazy weird glow from the hole, and then the sword just kind of _spewed _out of it.

Well. That was uneventful. I wasted nearly a day, and nothing happened? Gee how pathetic.

I guess that's when I fell asleep.

Honestly, I don't know how long I fell asleep for, but when I woke up, it felt, early......or late. I didn't really know which. But then I looked at the hole, maybe to rant more.

But....there was no hole. None!

I don't know how that happened. No idea how. Kinda just blew my mind there.

And then I got mad at myself for falling asleep. I didn't see what happened. It was like the hole was never there in the first place.

But _what happened?_

I spun around. and glared at the Moomba. "Do _you_ know what happened?" I asked, a little irritably, still trying not to hug the adorable thing with it's huge eyes and plushy feel.

The Moomba just blinked at me. I nearly squealed at the cuteness of it all.

No, Rikku, _No_.

You have to find out what happened.

But can I just give it _one_ hug?

............... No.

Okay, I think I'm officially going insane. I sighed. Hopefully I don't miss what happens next, er. In the next Temple, which isn't very far away.

I started walking towards the Chocobo. The Moomba trailing behind me. I turned around, blinked. "Do you wanna come with us?" I asked.

The Moomba bounced lightly. I gave in. I flung my arms around it and buried my face in it. Then I yanked back.

Urgh! This Moomba needs a bath.

I got on the Chocobo, and hauled the Moomba behind me. "C'mon new little buddy. Lets go to The next temple."

We got as far as the outside of Remiem temple before my thoughts started drifting towards Gippal. Did I do the right thing in locking him away? Was he safe.

Hopefully the Bevellian assassins didn't find him. Oh, Dear Shiva, _please_ don't let those stupid assassins come and find him like that.

And then I looked at the sun. Hmmmm.....wasn't it just getting dark when I went _Into, _temple?

Why did it look like the afternoon? Early afternoon....

I looked up, horrified. Eeeeek! Don't tell me I slept through the night!!

That would mean that Gippal would be out in.....I glanced at Kuppo.

"Kuppo! Time!" The time flashed in a hologram as soon as Kuppo opened her mouth.

12:57 pm

Eeeeek! The cage would be out in Late afternoon! Noon begins at twelve. And I considered it late about now.

Gyaaaah! I hoped I would be in Zanarkand by now.

I rode fast towards the Yojimbo's Temple. Just as we were getting to the bridge when suddenly the Chocobo stopped, I was nearly thrown off my seat.

And there, right in front of us stood the Bane of my existence. why, oh _why_ does the world hate me?

Gippal looked pissed. Why _shouldn't_ he be pissed Rikku? You _trapped_ him in a stupid _cage._

"Well?" He snarled. coming up to walk beside the Chocobo. Without saying anything else, he dragged my down and his hand snapped around my waist.

"You're in Biiiiig trouble, Princess"

Oh damn.

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eeeek! sorry I didn't update as usual. But I was super uber busy. Stupid teachers and their stupid stupidness! I will try to get the next chapter a lot longer then this one. But that might take a while.


	14. In the Hot Pot we romp

Ooooh! I love you people. I will marry you all, that is, um....if you were all really hot guys and all. But I'm sure the majority of you are girls expressing their artistic ingenuity like I am so I will resist temptation. As promised, I'll give you guys the longest chapter I've written so far. Read and Enjoy.

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Dream A Little Dream

Chapter 14: In the Hot Pot we romp

I stared at Gippal, hoping beyond hope that someone would come to my rescue. He looked so angry, frustrated, hurt, betrayed, and confused, that I wanted to smother him in my unrequited affection.

And ironically, I willed him to suffer a momentary seizure, enough so I could get away and rush down to the gorge. On the bad side, he would most likely see that I've gone down to the gorge and follow me. I then considered stabbing him with my sword(the one that the Gate spit back out, obviously wasn't the right flavor) but I figured, either his armor was good enough to withstand the force of my very nice sword, or it must be his ominous aura of jerkiness that fend off my sword. Either way he's a lucky bastard that I don't kill him on the spot for following me.

...Why _was_ he following me anyway..?

Oh well. I didn't much get into that as much as I was getting into praying to anything, the Fayth, Spira, Aeons, heck, I would even pray to Yevon(whom I really don't give a crap about, since they're the ones who shipped the Al Bhed off anyway). I was praying, that someone would save me from Gippal's sexy(and quite frankly frightening, in a shivery Oh-dear-Spira,-don't-let-my-knees-turn-into-goo) stare.

My rescue came, quite surprisingly, in the form of a slightly stinky, adorable little orange butterball that was the Moomba.

He _pounced_ on Gippal's shoulders, and started gnawing on Gippal's head.

Of course, from the color of the Moomba's fur, and it's size and approximate weight, I would say that this Moomba would be considered a toddler (in Moomba years). heh heh I read it in a book '_Raising wild, slightly dangerous, animals'_

I figured that the Moomba would be growing it's fangs(slightly sharper then some fiends) soon. And needed to Teeth. Gippal was currently yelling out blasphemies that a sailor would blush at.

He was trying to throw the Moomba off him, but it was hanging on for dear life, growling.

I guess the Moomba didn't like him. Finally after a while (still too stunned by the Moomba's actions to actually do anything to help Gippal, not that he deserved it, the jerk) He finally managed to pry it off him, more angered then he already started out, he took out his gun.

"eeeeek!" I practically shrieked at him, grabbing his arm "Gippal, if you try to hurt that Moomba, So Shiva help you, I will _rip off your legs!"_

He was frustrated, I was frustrated. We were both frustrated.

Him from my avoidance, and me with the whole Fayth mission thingy. I snatched the Moomba, who had dropped down on all fours, snarling at Gippal, fur bristling, normally wide friendly pupils turned into slits (a lot like a cat's) and bearing the little teeth it had, since it was so young and hadn't grown a full set yet(Definitely a sign of hostility, which was odd, because Moomba were usually friendly creatures, although, first impressions mean a lot to them, it depends in the way they act towards a person, and Gippal had _not_ made a good first impression on the Moomba).

Like I was saying, I snatched the Moomba off the ground, cuddled it a bit, so it would smell my sent. It relaxed slightly, though still keeping a weary eyes on Gippal. I put it down, on it's two feet, it stuck close to me, growling slightly when Gippal got too close.

"What the hell is wrong with you!?" Gippal growled. Taking a step towards me.

The Moomba stepped in front of me, trying to protect me, poisonous claws drawn into shining points(Only used as when they feel really threatened). The protective attitude of the Moomba had me feeling ridiculously touched.

I bent down and grabbed it again. "Oooooo, aren't you a cute little darling!" I squished it against me, ignoring the slightly stinky smell.

"Damnit Rikku! Where did you get that little monster?" Gippal growled.

"I found it." I grinned at him. His eye softened when he looked at me. Then he gave an exasperated sigh. "Whatever, C'mon." He said, moving towards me, the Moomba glared at him. The Moomba started growling.

The Growling got louder as Gippal got closer.

"Behave." I muttered sternly to the Moomba. The growling stopped, it just kept glaring at Gippal.

"hmmm....." I muttered offhandedly. "What should I name you.....?"

"Rikku!" Gippal snapped.

"What?"

He sighed. "Forget it."

I shrugged, I looked at the currently un-named Moomba and said. "Why do you go wait by the on the Chocobo?"

As the Moomba ambled off, I stood up and gave my most charming smile to Gippal. I saw his lips twitch slightly, and then he moved it back into a scowl. Oh, he's good.

I sighed, I started making my way to the, him following me.

"what are you doing?" He asked.

__

Going to save the world? Why do you care?

"Oh, noooothin....." I placed both hands behind my head. Still walking ,the Chocobo, Moomba, Kuppo, and Gippal in tow.

"You aren't hiding anything from me, are you, Princess?" He said.

__

Yep, I'm a dream, But I can't tell you, bummer huh?

"Noooo....." I said, glancing back at him. He was staring at me oddly.

"Rikku....."

Since my back was to him, he couldn't see me shut my eyes. _Please don't say my name like that, I'm already feeling guilty enough for lying to you._

"Where are we going?" Gippal asked. I had to feel kind of weird, because I didn't really know why he was following me. It made me feel uneasy and gooey at the same time.

I don't think I liked it.

So I just ignored his question and burst out into song. I think I might have gone more then a little loony with all the pressure of this mission and everything. But I just started singing the first song that came to my mind. Which, incidentally, wasn't the greatest song either…

But did that stop me from singing it? Nooooo.

"Ooooh, give me land, lots of land, under starry skies above, Don't, fence me iiiiinnn" I sang, I remeber Pops and Mama, singing this when I was a kid, my brothers and I would usually hide for cover once Pops started singing. Although, it did start to grow on me....(shhh, don't tell that to my dad, I never want him to sing that song again)

"Let me riide through the wide open country by myself, doooooon't fence me iiiiiin" I continued shuffling my feet to the tune.

I heard Gippal twitch suspiciously behind me, then a strangled cough.

My eyes narrowed(although he couldn't see it)

Was he _laughing_ at me? My voice wasn't _that _bad! I even sang a solo for Yuna and the rest of the residents in Besaid, and they were genuinely impressed with my voice, thank you very much.

I strived to ignore him. "Let me be by myself in the evening breeze, listen to the murmur of the cottonwood trees,"

Another strangled cough. Grrr. I really wanted to hit him. But I continued.

"Send me off forever but I'd ask you please, don't fence me in, just turn me, loose let me rattle my old saddle underneath the western skiiiiiiiies"

There was a soft snicker behind me, and then a cough.

"Rikku---" Gippal gasped. "Stop---!" and then he chuckled slightly, but managed to turn it into a cough the last minute.

I ignored him. I was _not _going to let him ruin my ballad, no matter how bad it was.

"On my caiouse, Let me wander over yonder tiill I see the mountains riiiiiiiiiiise." My voice picked up. Mostly to drown out the desperate coughing and snickers behind me.

"I want to riiiiide through the wind, where the west commences, gaze at the moon till I loose my senses, can't look at hobbles and I can't stand fences, Don't fence me iiiiiin" I rang out my finale with an exaggerated motion with my hands.

Someone behind me sounded like they were having a seizure. I spun around and glared at him. He was clutching his stomach, laughing hysterically.

I stomped right at him, heartstrings being pulled at the mere sight of him laughing like that. Spira, it was crazy how much I loved this guy. I stabbed him in the chest with my finger.

"You're laughing." I stated angrily(and somewhat lamely)

Yes, Rikku, we _know_ he's laughing.

"Why are you laughing?" I asked, somewhat rhetorically. Why wasn't he mad at me? He should hate me for doing things like that to him(the cage thing, I mean).

And we know why he was laughing. I wanted to kiss him at that moment.

He was so incredibly sexy when he was panting, out of breath with laughter and his green eye sparkling with mirth.

Did I mention that was unfair that he had that effect on me?

"You're crazy, princess" he said, one he composed himself(mostly, he still had sporadic moments of snickering).

When did he start calling me princess?

I opened my mouth to ask him, when suddenly the chocobo chirped. I looked around.

We were in front of Yojimbo's cave.

"What are we doing here?" Gippal asked. More then a little puzzled, and perhaps a little hurt that I wouldn't answer any of his questions.

I didn't answer, I didn't look at him. I just went inside. We made our way through the cave without a hitch, occasionally wiping the asses of a few fiends, but nothing too serious.

We got to the chamber of the fayth. I stopped. I looked at Gippal.

"You have to wait out here, Gippal"

He blinked. "why?"

Debatably, he had every right to ask that question. I just couldn't bring myself to answer them. I wanted him to be trapped in a little bubble of ignorance, at least for a little while longer.

I knew I'd have to tell him, maybe before the last one. But I don't want to tell him unless I have to.

"Just doing some research, that's all, about the holes and stuff." I lied.

He watched me for a second. Hurt overtaking his face. He knew I was lying to him, but in an act that was so Un-Gippal Like, he let it go.

Maybe because he knew that he wouldn't get anywhere when I didn't want him to know anything of what I was doing, and he probably knew he wouldn't get an answer out of me until I wanted to tell him about it.

Never the less, it put me on another, "Rikku's a bitch" ride.

I smiled at him.

"I'll be right out"

I walked in. Leaving Gippal to his thoughts.

-----------------

Gippal stood outside of the Chamber of the Fayth. Debating whether or not he should go in with her. Although he knew that something like that would probably have gotten him stuck in a cage again.

In all honesty, he really didn't know why he was following Rikku. When she went missing in Kilika, everyone was worried about her. No note, No "goodbye".

She was just gone. When he saw her again in Luca, she had done her best to avoid him. He knew that those two ladies in the Style place, 'Whatever it's called' he though sullenly, were in on whatever she planned.

Something in her eyes, when they were on the Highroad told him something was wrong. Sure, she was still bubbly little Rikku. And maybe someone who didn't watch her as closely as he did wouldn't have noticed. But he had been watching her closely. Though he would never admit to such a thing.

He leaned his head back against the wall. Staring at the transport pad that would take him to the Chamber of the fayth. She was avoiding him. That by itself was new.

In the past, she would always seek him out, for one mundane reason or another.

That day on Kilika, the day she disappeared, before the tri-counsel meeting, she had grabbed his arm, tore him away from his conversation with Nooj, dragged him over to a balloon vendor, and like a little girl, asked him to buy her a balloon.

And when he did, she was so ecstatically happy that she had give him a big hug and cried "ooooh, Gippal, you're the _best!_"

Then scurried off, turning down his offer to go with him to the tri-counsel meeting.

The Rikku he saw now.......She was still his Rikku, the Rikku he grew up with. Except now, she had underlying secrets, hidden beneath the beautifully large green eyes of hers. It reminded him of the last time he saw her before vegnagun.

That was two years ago, the sadness and determination, he had seen in her eyes as she told him she was going to stop Yuna from throwing her life away.

He saw that now, only it seemed like the world was resting on her shoulders.

And he didn't like it. She had shoved him in the Moonflow. The second time she escaped him. He had watched her run. Not as if she was running _away_ from him.

But as if she was running _towards_ something.

He was confused. He was still mad. But somehow, not at her. Just at whatever was causing the little Rikku he knew to act the way she was acting at the moment. It frustrated him, hurt him, and in away, angered him that she was so adamant about him leaving her alone.

He wanted her to tell him what was wrong. But he knew that she'd never tell him, at least, not willingly, not with the attitude she had.

He put his hands over his head, and glared at the warp pad. That boy, what's his face, Calko, or Clasko, or whatever. He didn't like him.

At first, he wanted to kill him, but now.....now there was only traces of homicidal thoughts about that chocobo loving idiot in his mind. He was pretty proud of himself to have gotten that far along. When he was trapped and in that cage, and that, that, _Clasko_, had let her out of the cave without a fight, offering her the Chocobo, and supplies, letting her leave, he had wanted to _murder_ him.

But then they had gotten to talking. Or Clasko had gotten to talking.

Which had made him want to murder Clasko even more. He had gone on, and on, and _on_ about chocobos. What time they were likely to sleep. What they liked to eat, what their migrating patterns were. How strong and cute they were.

He had wondered if Rikku had left him in that cage to purposely get him to loose his mind.

He had been pretty damn close to it too. But then the cage had faded away. Which had left him the free rein to kill Clasko, reason had kept him from doing so.

Admittedly, it would have been a waste of time to actually kill him, plus it would have been bad for the Chocobos, they needed that idiot to take care of them to be healthy right?

So he had just charged out of the temple and gone with his intuition.

And there he was.

Sitting outside of the Chamber of the Fayth, just six feet from the pad that would lead him in to the chamber if he wanted to go in.

And it pissed him of to know that Rikku didn't want him in there.

Finally, about an hour and a half later, Rikku came out of the chamber, looking a bit miffed, only to find Gippal and the Moomba in a staring contest.

The Moomba broke the staring contest first and rushed over to her, launching itself into her arms and nuzzling his slightly stinky body into her neck.

"What the hell took you so long?" Gippal snapped.

Rikku stroked the Moomba's head like she would stroke a child's head.

"Research took a little bit longer then expected, right Kuppo?" Rikku said, the mechanical bird Gippal had given her chirped in agreement.

Gippal's eye narrowed.

__

Research, my ass.

He thought. He wanted to grab her and shake her. Demand what was going on. Instead, he gritted his teeth and asked, as calmly as possible.

"So, where to, next?"

Rikku was still preoccupied with cooing at the Moomba.

"Hmmm? Oh...next....uhmmm....Zanarkand" Rikku trailed off, frowning at the paupo fruit stain on the Moomba's fur.

__

Zanarkand?! Gippal's eyebrows shot up.

But that's where Faleron was.

And then, because he couldn't maintain his cool anymore,

Gippal snapped.

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Baaaaaah!!! My computer has been experiencing some technical difficulties! I wanted to make a longer chapter. But that doesn't seem to happening any time soon. Sigh. So I'll try to update regularly until I get around to actually typing longer chapters. so sorry for the needless wait.


	15. Sing me a Song

I have given up all attempts to make longer chapters. Possibly because my mind goes blank when I'm in the middle of my little writing spree and that little thing called writer's block knocks on the door of my brain. It's going all "Ahh, you haven't had _Us_ in a while, So we will grace you with our presence and thereby disabling any legitimate ideas you've had" And such. So I will stick to the current amount I'm planning with.

And also, I actually hadn't meant for it to be this long already, it was supposed to be a short little story, but then it evolved into this, this monstrous ---_thing!_ I had had all my ideas planned out and such, but then the plot bunnies kept saying "oooh, add _this_ one in, and _that_ part would make it more interesting." But I can't really complain with so many good reviews. (Although give me a minute to damn those stupid plot bunnies.) ...Okay. Good. Here is chapter 15. Read, enjoy and review!

(This chapter is a result of an evil Plot bunny)

And also, for those people who didn't know who Faleron was, he's the guy in chapter 6 that Gippal didn't like because Rikku thought he was hot. (In D'jose temple), It's my fault that he was overlooked. heh, sorry.

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Dream a Little Dream

Chapter 15: Sing me a Song

Gippal lunged forward, grabbing Rikku by the shoulders, effectively letting her drop the Moomba, who immediately started snarling at him.

Something of which he blatantly ignored.

"You are _not_ going to go to Zanarkand to see Faleron, do you understand me?" Gippal said quietly, leashed fury evident in his voice and actions.

He expected her to be furious with him. To slap him in the face and tell him it wasn't any of his damned business who she wanted to go see.

The possibility of that kind of reaction from her made him chomp down hard on his jaw, resisting the urge to kill something.

However, the reaction he _did_ get from her was something he _wasn't_ expecting.

Rikku stared at him, wide-eyed. Then she blinked.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

Then with a adorably confused frown she said. "Faleron? Who's he?"

Boy, did that make him feel better.

And made him feel like one hell of an idiot at the same time. "Never mind" He muttered. Torn between feeling ridiculously relieved and embarrassed.

Her head tilted slightly, studying him. "Who's Faleron, Gippal?"

"Princess?"

"Yes?"

"Shut up."

"Tell me who Faleron is first."

"No one."

"Awww...Gippal! Don't be such a party pooper! Who is he?"

"A bird"

"You're lying"

"No"

"It's a guy, right?"

"No"

"Is it a girl?"

"No"

"Gippal!"

"Yes"

"Will you at least give me an itsy bitsy _tiny_ little hint?"

"No"

"You big meanie"

"Love you too"

Rikku froze. She stared at him. Then she shook whatever it was on her mind that made her stare at him as wide-eyed like that. Then she frowned slightly, enlightenment coming over her face. She hit her fist into her open palm and looked up at Gippal.

"He was the guy you sent to Zanarkand from D'jose right? The one with the really pretty eyes?" Rikku said tilting her head back slightly, and staring at the roof of the cave, as if reminiscing.

"Pretty eyes?" Gippal all but seethed. The thought of Rikku thinking of that overrated pretty boy really rubbed him the wrong way. He didn't know why he was even feeling this way, but he didn't like the thought that that idiot in her thoughts.

"Mmm-hmmm" Rikku hummed, still staring at the ceiling. Suddenly she found herself hauled into the arms of the Leader of the Machine Faction. Her arms instinctively placed themselves on his chest and she stared at him.

"You are _forbidden_ to go near him, have I made myself clear." Gippal said, smashing her closer to his body.

Rikku snickered, she couldn't resist taunting him, even as her arms moved down from his chest to wrap around his waist instinctively, soaking in his warmth.

"Is little Gippal _jealous?_" Rikku grinned against his neck when he stiffened slightly, but made no move to go away from her.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." he scoffed, his hand moved up her back to tug at one of her braids, giving her no choice but to look at him.

"You're not going near him" He said again, adding in an intimidating frown at her.

She laughed, leaned up and kissed his nose, making a big smacking noise, like he'd seen her do to Cid when Home still stood.

"Don't worry" She stepped away from him and saluted "I wasn't planning on going near him in the first place, actually I didn't even know that he was in Zanarkand." Then she scampered away to pack the few supplies she had used.

He blinked. "Then what the hell are you going to Zanarkand for?"

She beamed at him, pausing to praise the Moomba who had come to help her, and the Chocobo for bending down slightly to give her more access. "Research of course!"

"Rikku."

"What?"

"What research?"

Rikku rolled her eyes. "Weren't you paying attention when I told you I was doing research on the holes?"

Gippal sighed, he wasn't getting anywhere with her like this. Oh, well, he'd eventually get it out of her.

"Hey Gippal."

"What"

"You don't happen to have any paupo fruit on you, do you?"

He blinked. "No, why."

"Cause the Moomba likes it. Ooooh, that's it! I'll call you Paupo! Pau for short, after that fruit you like so much."

He rolled his eye. She wasn't even paying attention to him anymore. It still amazed him how short her attention span could be. As it was, she bent down to cuddle the moomba and gave it a high-five.

"Lets go Rikku, hey, where did you get that sword?" He just noticed it, sitting idly at her hip, right next to her gun holster.

"I found it. Lets go" She trotted to the entrance of the cave, Chocobo reins in her right hand, the moomba riding the chocobo, and the mechanical bird he'd given her (what was the name? Kuppo) perched on her shoulder.

---------------------

Damn it. Rikku started singing again. She had a good voice, he admitted, but sometimes when she was excited or distracted by something, she tended to sing off key.

Like now.

"Why do you fill me up, Buttercup, baby just to let me down, and mess me around-" Rikku sang, almost jubilantly.

They were more then half-way through the trail leading to Mt. Gagazet, and Rikku had been singing about a quarter of the way there.

He mentally groaned. Damn, this wasn't what he meant when he'd told Brother that he'd watch out for Rikku when she trapped him in that cage.

He had the incredible urge to gag her right now, and he fought with reason weather he should do it or not. Of course, if he did do it, she would naturally break free and make his life a living hell. It was always the way it worked with her.

"But worst of all, you never call baby, when you say you will-" Rikku continued singing.

"Rikku..." Gippal groaned.

"But I love you still-"

"Rikku! Damnit stop!" Gippal snapped out. She stopped. Stared at him, then stuck her tongue out at him.

"Party Pooper" Rikku said.

They walked on in silence for a while after that, Gippal was in the process of thanking the Fayth, Spira, his mother, his father, basically all his ancestors that she had stopped singing--and then he stopped.

Rikku had started humming again. This was how it started, she hummed, and then she would break out into sporadic moments of song.

__

Damnit.

Someone up there obviously hated him.

"Damnit Rikku."

She blinked those beautifully large green eyes of hers. "What?" She asked innocently. He didn't believe it for a second. "I wasn't singing!"

He snorted and kept walking.

"Gippal!"

He didn't answer her, just kept walking, of course, she couldn't see the grin on his face.

"Hey!" she caught up to him, didn't notice that they were at the entrance of Gagazet already. They didn't notice that a very peculiar group was watching them.

"I was talking to you, mister! Hey! Get back here!"

He spun around, just as she was jogging up to meat him, she managed to stop herself just inches from colliding with his chest.

He lifted on finger, and brandished it like he was scolding a very naughty child. "You are hereby forbidden to sing in my presence. Do you understand?" His finger just inches from her face.

She glared that, I-really-wish-I-could-kill-you glare that he was very used to.

She bit his finger in response. He yelped, more from surprise then pain. He wrenched his finger away, and shook it to dispel the minuscule pain her bite had elicited.

She reached up, and stabbed him in the chest with her finger. "Now listen here, you overgrown baby! One, it's _my_ voice. Two, you don't like it, don't listen. And three, I can sing when I want, where I want, and in whomever presence I'm in, do _you_ understand?"

Damn, she was sexy when she was riled up.

As if to prove her point, she opened her mouth and started singing.

He took his free hand(the one she _hadn't_ bitten) and slapped it closed over her mouth.

"Mmmmgh! Mmmmou herk!" Rikku raged, reaching up to try to pry his hands away. No avail, he was still stronger then her.

So she settled for calling him all the bad names she could think of.

"Now, now princess. What would your father say if he heard you?"

"I'd say it was fucking hilarious, _that's_ what I'd say." A voice startled them both. They looked to the side to find Kimahri, Cid, Brother, Buddy, Shinra, staring at them with amusement.

"Cid?" Gippal asked, still startled.

"mmmrr?" Rikku said, seemingly just as shocked, before glaring at him, accusingly, and slapping his hand as hard as she could.

He yelped again. "Ouch, Damnit Rikku! That Hurt!"

"It was supposed to, Jerk." she answered loftily. Cid grinned. He stared at his daughter and the boy he considered good enough to be his son. There was obviously some potential in them hanging out together.

"Rikku." Cid said, in that authoritive tone that had her cringing slightly.

"Yes Pops?" Rikku said almost timidly, afraid of what he might say.

"If you're going to hit Gippal, just remember, he's the leader of the Machine Faction, so it ain't a good idea to kill him."

"Hey!" So said leader cried out indignantly.

Cid grinned, pleased by her answering chuckle and salute "Right-O Chief!"

He beckoned his daughter closer, to ask her where she had been, trying to hide the relief he'd felt that she wasn't hurt, and was obviously doing okay. The worry he had had when he found out that she had left without a note eased. And his pleasure at seeing his only daughter with his best friend's son increased.

Before she could take a step closer to him. A man ran right out of the Pass leading to Zanarkand, panting, out of breath, torn clothing. Looking like he was going to pass out.

"Fire!" He screamed. "Zanarkand is on Fire!"

With that he collapsed. Leaving a crowd of very stunned Al Bheds and Ronsos in his wake.

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Dun dun Duuuuun! and the plot thickens. I need you all to start paying _veeeerrry_ close attention now, mwahahahahahaha. I Cliff hangers are fun! wheeeeeee!


	16. Fall From Grace

Hey people again! It's me! Hiiii! Heh heh heh. Yeah, I kinda noticed that my last chapter turned out into italics halfway down, I don't know how that happened. That was a total fluke. Oh well. Sorry if it threw some people off. Um, anyway, here is another installment of my beautiful story. Read and review.

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Dream A Little Dream

Chapter 16: Fall From Grace

The crowed of Al Bheds, and Ronso stood there, staring at the collapsed man. As if they'd never seen the likes of him, certainly not the likes of his announcement. Shocked, horrified, all of them were too frozen to do anything.

Rikku was the one who recovered first.

She whipped out her White mage sphere and seconds later, dressed in white garb, she rushed over to the fallen man, checked his pulse, muttered to herself about light bruises, minor fractures and slight burns and said, very calmly for someone who was just told that Zanarkand was burning.

"Cura! Esuna!" Rikku said, still holding the man. Glancing at the a lone Ronso standing off to the side, Rikku took on a very un-Rikku like persona and started giving out orders.

"You! Come here!" Once the Ronso had come over and knelt Rikku said "Keep his head elevated. I would usually just cast a Curaga and get it over with, but at this state, his body is already under too much pressure, he'll go into shock."

Everyone blinked, they had never heard such a thing. "Buddy" Rikku continued "Radio someone, anyone, back at the Bazaar and tell them to bring lots of potions, high potions and anything to keep off infection."

When he didn't move at all, Rikku's eyes narrowed. "_Now"_

"Uh-Right" and he left, still looking somewhat shell-shocked.

Satisfied with the amount of care currently being given to the man by the Ronso and sure that help would soon come, Rikku got up from her kneeling position and changed back into her Gunner dress sphere.

"Pau, Kuppo, pack what we need to go, and then lets go." Rikku made her way off to the transport pad. Only to be stopped by Gippal. "What are you doing?" He demanded.

"Did you see that guy Gippal? Did you _see_ him? He was hurt! There are probably more people hurt worse then him in Zanarkand. _Our_ people Gippal. Didn't you send a team there to excavate Machina? I can't just sit here and not find out the situation!" She wrenched his arm out of his grasp, then went, with Kuppo and Pau to the teleport pad.

He stared, dumbfounded at the Teleport pad, Brother broke the eerie silence that feel in the entrance of Gagazet.

"Who was that, and what has she done with Rikku?" Brother demanded. Cid nodded, seemingly disturbed by his daughters actions.

Gippal's eye narrowed, before he cursed and went after her.

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Rikku stood frozen at the entrance of Zanarkand, shaking from head to toe. What happened? What had happened to the beautiful ruins of Zanarkand?

As she stared at it she saw the orange-red flames lick at the fallen buildings. Heated air creating distorted images of the once majestic Ruins. "Oh Spira, what could have caused this...?"

Rikku continued to shake, fright, anger, and determination pouring into her veins like liquid gold. The streaks of Pyreflies that once roamed the skies of Zanarkand were now just rouge embers popping with heat, cackling mockingly at her as if to stain the memories she had of this once beautiful place.

She stared at the city below her, feeling as if she were looking at everything from the outside. Had she not been here scarcely a month ago? Chasing monkeys and looking for treasure with Kinder guardians? She shook with unsuppressed rage. 'This had better be just an accident' Rikku thought vehemently 'Because if this isn't, then I'll kill whoever was the one responsible.'

She ran into the city, seeing people running out screaming at her to turn back, getting knocked over more then once in the rush to get out of the burning ruins. She ignored them, still running deeper into the ruins. Looking for survivors, trying desperately to get to the Chamber of the Fayth. She still had a mission to accomplish, and she promised that she would see it though, whether she lived or died.

She kept running. Thrown to the ground as a piece of ruins exploded, sending metal filings, glass and debris everywhere. Rikku shook more, with renewed fright.

'Shiva, this felt and looked too much like Home did when it was burned down' Rikku thought, swallowing the bile in her throat.

"No, _no_ Rikku, be strong, _strong, _damnit!" She said to herself. Then hit the ground just as another part of the ruins exploded, missing her head by inches. She shuddered to think what she might have ended up looking like if she moved just a half a second later. "Pau, Kuppo, Be careful!" She said.

Cautiously making her way across the burning myriad of ruins. She took out her guns, and reload then with water and ice alchemy bullets. Then ran to a semi- safe spot farther down a corridor "Protect!" She screamed. She kept running, even as a warm green bubble expanded around her, Kuppo and Pau.

"We're almost there. Almost there" Rikku chanted, trying not to let her memories of Home distract her from looking where she was going. Another Part exploded, the wind created by that blast, and the quickness of Rikku's movement blew her head band off her head, and also caused a shard of metal to tear into the tender skin of her arm.

"Agh!" Rikku cried out. Shooting off her gun, and freezing any debris coming her way. She looked at her arm, bleeding, dripping to the floor, but not deep. It wouldn't kill her. Not unlike staying in one spot would.

Run. Run. Run! She was almost to the elevator. From there, she would just have to go to Lady Yunalesca's Chamber.

She got to the elevator, and rode it down, Horrified to see that it was worse on the bottom that it had been on the top. fire was everywhere. She could just reach out not two inches and have her fingers burned off from all the heat.

It was so hot. She raised her gun. And Fired. Ice would engulf the fire for about ten seconds before the fire melted it again, It was that hot. She took a deep breath. She would have to sprint all the way to Yunalesca's room.

"Okay Kuppo, Pau, stay at my pace, got it?"

Pau nodded gravely in agreement, and Kuppo chirped.

Rikku reloaded all her guns, and loaded extra clips just in case she had to reload quickly. She fired her first shot.

Started running, as fast as her legs would carry her, kept firing, kept running. So close. So _close!_ She dived into the next room.

One more stairway and she would be free. There was no fire here. Rikku let out a sigh of relief and then froze. She heard snarling behind her. She spun around. only to find that she had been completely surrounded by fiends.

Oops. Guess they wanted to get away from the fire too. Pau snarled beside her, and Kuppo took a perch on a ledge. Scanning each fiend for the more dangerous ones.

Rikku just smiled. Fire she didn't like.

But taking out fiends was something she was very good at.

She looked around her at the fiends looming ever closer, and grinned.

Beckoning them closer with her right hand, left hand on the handle of one of her guns at her hip, she smiled innocently at them.

"Bring it on, Boys."

---------------------

Gippal was running like a mad man trying to find Rikku amongst the debris.

"Damnit! Where is she?!" he kept running. "Cid!" He yelled, over the roar of falling metal and breaking glass. "I can't see her!"

"Keep Looking damnit! Ain't no way I'm loosing my little girl! Not like this!" Cid screamed back, moving across the debris. They had to find her. Had to. Failure was not an option.

Hell. Even Brother was panicking "Rikku! RIKKU! If you can hear me, now would be a good time to answer!!" he hollered with both hands cupping his mouth.

When they reached the elevator they were confronted with Nhadala.

Gippal ran towards her. "Nhadala! Are you alright? Is everyone alright?"

"Fine, fine Gippal" his second in command said, pain laced in her voice as she clutched her left arm, which was twisted in an odd angle. "We got everyone out. Injuries ranging form minor to critical, but no casualties."

"Good, What happened?"

"Bevelle......they...sent.........." Nhadala gritted her teeth in pain.

"Damnit!" Gippal snarled. "They're trying to pin this on the Al Bhed aren't they?!"

"You got it boss." Nhadala said, "we were....just working, on excavating.....one of them....just came and said 'Al Bhed don't belong in this world with the Yevonites... and Yevon will see that you are found guilty' then he just torched the place, ugh..." Nhadala shrank to the ground. Gippal caught her before she fell.

"How long have you been standing here?" Cid asked "Has Rikku come by?"

"Don't...know, sir." She replied, her breath short. "Just came back....to see if anyone was left...." She passed out.

"Buddy" Gippal said "take her back outside make sure everyone who needs medical help gets it. Rin should be outside, he was here on business, tell him to provide as many potions, high potions and anything else needed, tell him to add it to the Machine Faction's tab."

"Gothca." Buddy hauled Nhadala into his arms and went.

"Lets go." Gippal said. And boarded onto the elevator. When they got downstairs they encountered more fire then they did when they were upstairs.

Cid shielded his body as the cornerstone of the pathway exploded.

"Rikku! Rikku!" Gippal yelled, desperately trying to find any semblance of her, anywhere.

"We should turn back!" Brother said over the roar of the flames. "She might be back upstairs!"

"She's not!" Gippal yelled back.

"How are you so sure?" Brother said.

Gippal didn't answer, trying to fight the panic threatening to overtake his control.

Damn Rikku for running off like that without him.

Cid was in near panic as well, his little girl was out there somewhere, they didn't know if she was injured, or even if she was..........no, she wasn't dead, he refused to lose his daughter like that. He lost his wife, he lost his son and he wasn't going to lose anymore of the people important to him. Especially not his daughter.

"Brother" Cid said "If you're so sure that Rikku's up there, then don't just stand there get your ass upstairs and _find_ her!"

Brother nodded, for once not arguing with his father in favor of finding his sister.

"And be careful" Gippal added. He watched Brother as he took the elevator back up. Hoping that if he didn't find Rikku down here like his instincts told him, that Brother would find her upstairs. Alive.

It was just him and Cid left staring down the corridor of what looked like the gates to hell. Damn, if he wasn't burned after this, he'd consider it a damn miracle. He didn't care at this point. Determination screaming t him to stop staring and get his ass moving to where his instincts told him Rikku was.

But the problem was, how the hell was he and Cid going to get passed all this damn fire?

He took a deep breath, hopefully this would work.

He hauled up his Mortar (which he conveniently brought in tough situations like this) and fired.

Hoping that it would put out the flames long enough for him to actually get across with out being burned to extra crispiness.

And also hoping that it wouldn't bring the entire room down along with it.

At this point, his desperation to find his childhood friend overpowered his sense of reason. And he didn't even know why. She had always been a good friend to him, even when she was pissing him off, he'd known her better then he cared to admit.

Something inside him was compelling him to find her. Something inside him told him that if he didn't find her, that he'd lose her.

He didn't know why that thought disturbed him so much. But he didn't stop to think about it.

As soon as the fire rushed aside, giving him a path to run across (Albeit a narrow path) He and Cid ran as if Sin himself were on their heels.

------------------------------------

Whew. Damn. That felt good to be able to get out all her stress on those stupid Fiends.

She was standing in the Chamber of the Fayth. The hole gaping. Kuppo and Pau were keeping a lookout on whatever might decide to come in and ruin this.

She pulled out her sword. Stared at it. Then glanced around her.

Damnit. She hadn't realized that the fire had come into this room. It wasn't serious, yet, fire was just licking at the corners of the room. Mocking her with the close proximity. Making her sweat at their heat, along with nervousness.

Every second she wasted seemed to make the fire grow bigger, as if taunting her that she wouldn't have enough time to actually seal the gate and get out alive.

She had time for only one.

Which was it Rikku?

Seal the gate. Or get out alive?

Seal the gate. It was funny how no regrets came to her. Just steel determination.

She laughed with self depreciating awareness.

Little Rikku was finally growing up.

She no sooner had pointed the tip of her sword to the hole when the room began to rumble, knocking her ever closer to falling into the hole. Kuppo and Pau immediately abandoned their self-appointed post to rush over to her and help her balance herself again.

"Rikku!"

Rikku's head snapped up at her name, she looked back at the Chamber entrance.

Gippal. Right behind him was Cid.

She felt a mixture of relief that they were alright, and apprehension that they were here.

"Go Back!" Rikku screamed at them, the room giving another irritated rumble. This room wouldn't hold very long. It was crumbling enough as it was.

"What are you Crazy?! We're not leaving without you!" Gippal screamed back. Moving towards her, only to jump aside when the side of the wall exploded. Blocking his path to her. He could still see her, but he couldn't get to her.

She shook her head. "I'll be out! Just go!" Even to her, the lie was evident.

"Rikku what the hell are you doin'?! Get your ass right here before I get more angry with you then I already am!" Cid snarled at her. He couldn't keep the worry out of his voice.

Rikku smiled at him. The room going eerily silent. The calm before the storm. "Please, Daddy, Just go."

Cid froze. That sentence alone was enough to frighten him. How long had it been since she had called him that?

"Rikku, Come here!" Cid yelled, more frantic now then he ever remembered being in his life.

The Crumbling started again with a vengeance. And the wall beside her exploded. knocking her off balance, teetering her towards the hole. The ceiling began to crumble.

She was falling. It was an odd feeling. Kuppo and Pau diving after her.

"Gippal--!" she saw the ceiling falling into the hole after her, surely going to crush her. So she pointed her sword to the opening and wished, with every thing she had that the hole would close.

Amazingly, a violet light emitted itself from the tip of the sword circling the hole and sealing it.

And that left her in Darkness.

--------------------------

Gippal watched, horrified as he saw Rikku fall into the hole, hearing her call out his name. He then saw what was left of the ceiling crumble. Crashing to the floor with violent force.

Rikku!

__

No!

"_Rikku!" _The scream that ripped out of his throat sounded inhuman. **_"Rikku!!!"_**

Above the sound of the fire, Something inside Gippal's chest tore apart.

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Wheeeeee! that was a WONDERFUL chapter, don't you think? I apologize if the layout of Zanarkand didn't sound right. Heh heh heh. Sorry. I love you all. Please Read and Review.


	17. Rise again From the ashes

Hiiiiii again! You people thought that was the end right? Right? Wrong! Lots more to go people, I mean, I haven't even gotten to the mushy scenes yet, you can't expect me to just cut it off with so many unanswered questions, do you.

That's what I thought. Now Stop complaining and Start reading (Not that you wonderful people are complaining)

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Dream A Little Dream

Chapter 17 : Rise again From the ashes.

Ugh. Well. _I_ certainly feel like crap. I have a headache, a backache, a foot ache......well, basically you get the idea. You name it, it probably aches.

Heh, You all thought I was dead right? Ha! Rikku is made of stronger fluff then what you thought! That's right! Fluff!

ugh. My head hurts. And whatever I'm babbling about, just ignore me. I remember falling. I remember Gippal and Pops and Purple light, and falling.

Oh. Right. I fell into the stupid hole. Great. Now I'm in the dark. I think the electrical bill for this place went out after we beat the big bad Vegnagun.

So now its dark. And I'm walking along a dark path.

Bump

Crush

Stumble.

"Owwwwww" Stupid.......whatever that was.

"Kuppo. Light" The small body of Kuppo illuminated. She looked like a moving bright bird-shaped flashlight fluttering around and glowing . "Pau? Pau? Where are you?"

There was a faint rustle, and Pau popped up out of nowhere and was standing in front of me, it's teal cat-like eyes staring at me.

I guess we had better get out of here. I mean, to the living world and all.

I think that I might have worried some people back there. Of course, now the real question is, how the heck do I get out? It's easy to fall in, but not so easy to get back out.

And it wasn't exactly my idea to fall into this stupid place. But I can't help but wonder, Can I close the holes from in here?

I'm not going to close ALL the gates in here, just the ones that are hard to get to.

Like Baaj Temple (the place where we got Anima). That place was creepy. It also brings back memories. That's where I met Tidus. Remember?

I really need to get out. Out out out!

I'm feeling strangely claustrophobic even though they're aren't any walls to close in on me.

I'm trying to remember where the entrance from D'jose Temple is. Or maybe the entrance from Besaid is better. I don't exactly know, or maybe from the Palace of St. Bevelle, I really don't care, I just need to get out.

------------------------

Two and a half hours of walking. I'm still sore. I think I'm pretty much at the bottom of the entrance from Kilika, who knew that that would be the closest entrance from where we landed.

I sooo couldn't wait to get out of this stupid place. I smelled like smoke. I needed a bath. Pau needed a bath. Kuppo probably needed a mechanical check-up to make sure none of her A.I. systems were fried or damaged, and I was sore all over.

And I needed a bath. I sniffed, and looked down at myself.

ewwww. I _really_ needed a bath.

I'm standing under the Hole from Kilika and I'm kind or in a bind as to how to get out. I'm tired, injured, and possibly going to pass out from boredom. But that still won't crush my determination to get out of here.

I took out my gun. Stared at it. hmmmm.......

Ooooooh! Couldn't I make a temporary elevator.....or something to levitate me and Pau to the top?

I could.

I could!!

I never cease to amaze myself with my brilliance. I looked at the ground. "Pau, Kuppo, stay close to me."

I took a deep breath. Looked at the ground beneath my feet, and thought of the hole in Kilika temple. That's were I wanted to be.

I Fired.

-----------------------------------------

Gippal was going in near frantic motions still in Zanarkand. Mechanically giving orders to the minimally injured Machine Faction members. All of them were staring expectantly at him, calmed by his presence waiting for his orders that would bring a semblance of normalcy despite the chaos still going on around them.

"Someone.., you, call the High Summoner and her entourage" Gippal said looking at a less haggard woman standing in the corner, her back ramrod straight, "Have them come to Zanarkand. While you're at it, Bring Nooj and Praeter Baralai here too. I want all those involved in the Tri-counsel Government here and present to witness this"

"Yes, Sir" She muttered and scurried to do as he asked.

Gippal looked at the rest of his crew, noting the cuts scrapes, bruises and minor burns they had received while trying to get out. All of them were sweaty and tired, though still willing to work.

"Those of you who injured to a level B state(2nd degree burns and such), receive medical attention as soon as possible, those of you who have only minor burns and cuts, do whatever you can to stop the remainder of that fire. Salvage as many of the machina parts as you can"

With that said, Gippal walked over to look at Cid, who was sitting on a bench his elbows on his thighs, head bent down, resting on his clasped fists, his shoulders shaking, heaving up and down, as he drew in great gasps of air . That was the picture of a man truly exhausted. Cid had been quiet after they had lost Rikku in the Chamber of the Fayth. Not even bothering to try and calm Brother down when he heard of his sister's predicament. They didn't know whether she was alive or dead. Though...she was probably most likely........No. She wasn't. She couldn't be. This was _Rikku_. Stubborn little Rikku who wouldn't do anything she was told unless they bribed her, or the idea appealed to her.

The Rikku who had poured sand in his hair when they were ten years old, on her first dig, in frustration that he had beaten her in finding the Machina parts.

The Rikku who, at fifteen had helped destroy the horrible nightmare that was plaguing the dreams of people. Sin.

The Rikku who he had come to admire, be amused by, annoy, and be annoyed by. The Rikku who he had known better then almost anyone.

The Rikku who he had come to care about more then he cared to admit.

No. She wasn't dead. She was too Rikku-ish to die in such an anticlimactic way.

She had always told him that if she were going to die, she would have died guns blazing, screaming a earsplitting war-cry that would have struck fear into he hearts of Fiends and enemies everywhere.

And since that fall had not been anywhere _near_ the guns-blazing-earsplitting-war-crying death she had always dreamed about, he rationalized that she couldn't be dead.

She just......_couldn't_ be.

"Cid....." Gippal started, and wasn't surprised when the older man didn't even so much as acknowledge his presence. "She's not dead."

At this, Cid looked up. His eyes a peculiarly bloodshot and red, puffy, as if he'd been crying. Of course he couldn't blame Cid for crying. He'd seen his only daughter plunge into a pit that no one really knew if it ever had a bottom, and when he had tried digging her out, bloodying his hands, burning them on the still steaming metal, he had found that the Hole his little baby had fallen into was closed. And he was unable to find out how to get to her.

Hell. Gippal felt like crying himself. It was only the sheer force of will and determination to find who was responsible and personally rip out their eyes that made him refrain from crying.

"How the hell do you know that she ain't dead?" Cid snapped, furiously wiping the back of his bandaged had across his eyes. "She could be dead. You asshole! My baby could be dead, and I wouldn't know cause that damn hole's closed now!" Cid, torn apart by grief, guilt, anger and fatherly instinct lashed out his frustrations on the nearest person.

Making the person he considered good enough to be his son, Gippal, a convenient scapegoat for all his anger.

"You promised me you'd watch over her, Damnit! And I don't know where the hell she is right now, you bastard! You _promised me!_ Don't now if she's dead, injured, hell! She could be injured right now, needing our help and I don't know how the fuck I can help her! She's my only daughter, damnit! My _only_ daughter!" Cid raged, Brother, standing behind him, looked away, his eyes also filling with tears.

"I lost my wife, my second son, and I'll be damned if I lose another one of my family!"

Cold washed across Gippal's senses. Cid could be right. Although he knew that Rikku, at this moment wasn't dead, what if she was injured? What if she were crying out in pain and needed their help and they were too busy here to actually go help her. Even if they could find her in to the Farplane Abyss, they wouldn't know where to start. It would literally take them weeks to find her, and by then it could be too late.

"Umm....sir?" The woman he had sent to call Yuna had come back. "They're already heading here. Buddy already went to get them as soon as he delivered Nhadala into the infirmary."

"Good." Gippal said curtly "And Baralai and Nooj?"

"On their way with the Summoner, sir. Although they had a problem with keeping out Master Nooj's....uh, acquaintance.... The former leader of the Leblanc Syndicate"

"That's fine. Go help someone over in the infirmary"

She bowed slightly. "Sir" She walked away.

The false sense of calm that he had felt convincing himself that she wasn't dead was immediately washed out by the possibility that she could be hurt and unable to get medical attention. Damnit.

He had to believe that she was okay, no matter how nerve wrecking it could be, he had to, for the sake of the Machine Faction.

He took in a deep breath, and placed his hand on his father's long time friend. "It's gonna be okay Cid. If I know Rikku, it's gonna take a lot more then just a little fall to keep her out of commission. Hell, if she could survive Sin, and Vegnagun without any physical and mental injuries, then she sure as hell couldn't be hurt by that. If anything, she's probably singing her lungs out, wherever she is" Gippal had to smile at that picture, he could easily picture Rikku making up childish songs in dire situations, just to annoy the people she was with, unintentionally of course.

Cid looked up and gave him a watery grin. "Yeah, my little girl does have one hell of a singing voice, don't she?"

Gippal cringed. "Uh......yeah....whatever you say Cid."

Brother, standing behind Cid rolled his eyes. "She does not. She is always off key. And she sings too loud!"

"And you don't?" Cid snapped.

"My voice is much better to listen to, right Gippal?" Brother said.

Gippal pretended he didn't hear that.

"Gippal!" Baralai's voice called out to him. He looked back, there was Yuna, Tidus, Leblanc(who was very attached to a certain someone), (a very haggard looking) Nooj, Baralai, and Paine.

"W-what happened here?" Yuna asked, her mismatched eyes rounding in horror as she looked at the dying flames.

"Somebody, mainly the new Faction of Bevelle, decided they wanted a Zanarkand barbeque" Gippal said.

"What?" Baralai gasped, staring at the wreckage. "They couldn't have--they wouldn't---" He cut off, looking confused, and angered that someone from Bevelle would do this, especially to these Ruins. He looked at his long time friend and fellow would-be Crimson Squad member.

"I'm sorry Gippal....I-I had no idea that the faction would do this." Baralai said, sincerity evident in his voice.

"Question is, Why would they want to?" Paine said.

Gippal shrugged. "Yevonite radicals, they want to pin this on the Al Bhed so that they could gain control of D'jose again. Not to mention that the excessive use of Machina is making them nervous of another Sin."

Yuna stared out into the ruins. Watching it being eaten by the dying, ravenous flames. "Those Yevonite Radicals want Neo Zanarkand to be approved. They want it built."

"There's no question that they want it approved, but why would they go to such lengths as burning down ruins to do it?" Nooj said. Leblanc, who hung on his arm looked up at the ruins. "Noojie's right, loves, why would a bunch of religious people, ones who supposedly value the ruins so much, want to tear it down.....?"

She looked up at her Noojie again. "Maybe they thought it was going out of fashion."

Yuna's eyes blazed. "Ruins can't _go_ out of _fashion_ Leblanc, they're _ruins."_

"Just a thought, love, no need to snap my head off."

"Well what I want to know is--" Yuna was cut off by her boyfriend.

"Where's Rikku?" The blond blitzball player asked.

Gippal, who was chatting with Baralai and Nooj, fell silent.

Everyone looked expectantly at him. "I mean, has anyone seen her, or anything....?" Tidus continued, trailing off as he saw the stares of everyone. "H-hey, I was just asking a question. If you haven't seen her, just say so."

"She.....She went into the ruins, while it was burning..." Gippal said, trying to swallow the lump that suddenly formed in his throat.

"And?" Yuna asked, Panic evident in her voice. "What happened Gippal?"

"We....she went into the chamber of the Fayth and...." Gippal stopped again, guilt at not being able to get to her on time eating away at him.

"And...?" Paine asked, her voice cracked just slightly to so her concern.

"She fell" Cid said from behind them all. "And the stupid father that I am, I couldn't protect her."

Yuna rushed over to him "No Uncle Cid. You didn't know what she was up to, right? Rikku can take care of herself."

"She's saved us a couple of times when we were in battles with fiends" Pain added "Though, don't tell her I told you that."

"She'll be fine" Yuna said, with more conviction then she felt. She fingered the portable commsphere that Shinra had given all of them right after the Vegnagun battle, so they could communicate with one another.

Should I see if she's there? Yuna asked herself. Did she wan to know the answer?

---------------------------------

Rikku was humming in the bathtub of the inn in Kilika. She had sealed the hole right after she had come out of it. And was now soaking in a tub, scrubbing the head of Pau. "I should call them shouldn't I?"

Pau wasn't paying attention. He was staring wide eyed at the bubbles rising up, occasionally making a swipe for them.

Rikku got out of the bath tub, put a towel on and called Kuppo. "Patch me through to someone's commsphere, Yuna's maybe? So she can tell everyone I'm okay."

Kuppo complied. There was a buzzing noise. Then the sound of arguing.

"Uhhhh....helllloooo?" Rikku said, uncertainly. "Anyone there? Yunie? Yunie!"

The arguing abruptly stopped. Silence. 'Okay....that was odd' Rikku thought. "Is anyone there? Heelllloooo?"

"Rikku?" Yuna's shaky voice asked. Rikku frowned. "What's wrong Yunie? Is everything okay?"

"I will KILL you Rikku when I get my hands on you!!" Brother screamed at the end of the line. Rikku Blinked.

"Oh, hiya Brother! Pops? You there?" the picture was blurry, must have been damaged from the fall. Rikku sighed. She should have done a maintenance and repair check on kuppo first before she called.

"Pops?"

"Right here." A gruff voice answered.

"oh....I'm okay pops, don't worry about it."

"Okay? you aren't going to be okay when I get my hands on you, princess" A very familiar voice said.

"Awwww....I missed you too Gippal!"

Snickers were heard in the background, and then a smack, and then a thud and then "Ow"

Sigh, glad to know everyone was worried about me.... Rikku thought.

"Paine, why did you hit me?!" Brother whined.

"Because you were an idiot." typical Paine.

Sigh, this was going to be one long conversation.

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TBC

Aaaaaah! I'm so sorry that I didn't post this up sooner. Christmas shopping, and....other stuff. So sorry. Happy holidays people! R&R!


	18. Complicated sunsets

hey people. it is I, the mastermind behind this story. here is another chapter. Read and Review, and enjoy.

(wow, that note was despairingly short)

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Dream A Little Dream

Chapter 18: Complicated sunsets

Rikku was walking along the deck of Kilika, wandering aimlessly, fruitlessly trying to find parts that might be able to repair Kuppo's monitor, and some of the A.I parts fried during the fire and the fall. Rikku sighed. Luckily no data was erased from her memory core. Hopefully she might be able to upgrade Kuppo to have a higher memory capacity with a faster reaction ability, to avoid future mishaps like this.

"That is, if I ever _find_ anything useful here" She muttered in frustration. She had been shopping for nearly four hours with nothing to show for it except a growing frustration with the lack of machina parts and sore feet. Pau trailed after her like a little child, eating a sugared Paupo Shish kabob. She looked at the Moomba with some amusement, watching it happily eat the sweet fruit it was named after. After the whole falling fiasco in Zanarkand, Pau had been very reluctant to leave her side, thinking that she would get into trouble if it wasn't there to watch her. It was amusing really.

"I want to go head over to Besaid next after this," She said, both her hands braced behind her head, Kuppo perched on her head, and Pau trailing after her, oblivious to the world, too enamored with it's sweet fruit kabob to care.

"Not like I'm able too, anyway. Who does Gippal think he is, telling me to stay put until he could get here? He's not the boss of me. Why am I even _listening _him? I don't need a baby-sitter." Rikku pouted. She glanced back at her orange pet/friend.

Pau gave her a look that clearly read: Yes. yes you do need a baby sitter.

"Yes, yes you do need a baby-sitter, princess." A wry voice said to her right. Rikku visibly jumped.

"Will you stop sneaking up on me?!" She snapped.

Leaning in the shadows of one of the stalls was Gippal, arms crossed, his expression a mix of irritation, relief, amusement, and some other emotion she couldn't identify.

He walked towards her, not stopping until they were nose to nose. (Of course, she was shorter then him, so it wasn't very even. More like nose to forehead, she had to tilt her head to see his eye).

"You deserve it sweetheart, after taking ten years off my life like that." he said.

"I'm fine, as you can clearly see. And don't call me sweetheart. Rikku. Riiiikkku. Say it with me. Riii-kku, and I'm perfectly _fine._" She growled at him, stabbing him in the chest with her finger.

"Physically, maybe, but mentally? I'm not so sure." He remarked dryly "Who would go running in to a raging fire like that?"

"Um...._you?_" She rolled her eyes at him. After all, she had seen him in the blaze, before she fell.

"Touché" He said, still not moving away from her.

"Humph, see? If _I'm_ mentally unstable then so are you, you jer--" She never got to finish, he slammed his mouth against hers. Drank his fill like a desperate man in the desert and she was the water. His arms went around her and he pulled her into an un-seen niche in the wall between shops, so they wouldn't be standing where people could easily see them.

Even as Rikku's arms went around his neck, and even as she kissed him back wholeheartedly, she felt like she was doing something out of a romance novel. Er. Not that she read anything like those. It just seemed like one of he scenes that might happen.

This kiss went on and on, and Gippal didn't seem to be in any rush to stop right away, or anytime soon for that matter.

Rikku was getting dazed, either from the lack of oxygen, or the earth-shattering kiss that Gippal was currently so concentrated in giving her.

'It must be the kiss..' Rikku thought dizzily, 'who needs....air......?' Her thoughts broke off as Gippal tore his mouth away from hers and started nibbling on her neck. She whimpered, heat exploding all over her body.

There was a soft snarl from Pau, but both of them ignored it, too busy in their ardor to touch one another then to listen to the disapproving Moomba.

"Where is Rikku?" A voice asked, worried exasperation riddled her tone. "You don't think she left again, do you?"

"Dunno, Gippal said he'd find her" The voice of Paine and the imistakable voice of her cousin drew closer.

Rikku yelped, almost soundlessly, tearing herself away from Gippal and franticly fixing her rumpled appearance. Gippal just watched her, amusement at her flustered state, and irritation at whoever interrupted them. "Pau" She whispered almost desperately, "distract them."

Pau jumped into the boardwalk, right in front of the two girls. Rikku still franticly tried to gather her scattered thoughts and fix herself.

She looked up at Gippal, feeling herself flush at the look in his eye. "I got some of my lip-gloss on you...." Rikku muttered, reaching up and gently brushing away the, mocha flavored lip gloss from his mouth. She was so busy staring into the Machina Faction Leader's eye that she dimly noticed what her friends were saying.

"---oomba? What is it doing here?" Paine's voice, laced wit amusement and pleasant surprise said.

"I don't know. Oh, it's so Cute!" Yuna gasped.

They were faced in the other direction, so they wouldn't see Rikku and Gippal walking out of their dark little corner. Pau was currently mesmerizing them with it's now luminescent blue-green eyes. The kind of eyes baby animals looked at you with. Yuna practically melted with adoration at the sight. Paine, not so much, but that didn't diminish the amusement in her eyes.

Pau, seeing that she had gone out of her little corner with Gippal standing right behind her, with her appearance fixed (you'd never have guessed that she was locked in a passionate make-out session with the hunky Faction leader not two minutes prior.) and relatively composed, bounded past the two girls and to her.

Paine and Yuna turned, following the Moomba, to see Rikku and Gippal standing there.

Yuna's eyes brightened at the sight of Rikku and rushed forward to give her a hug, all the worries that she had been hurt (even after her call) rushing out her body to be replaced with relief.

"Rikku!" The high summoner cried, enveloping her little cousin in her arms.

"Yunie!" Rikku said jubilantly, She had missed her cousin (even though she was the one trying to stay away from them.)

Paine however was looking with curiosity at the Faction leader, who hadn't taken his eye of her bubbly blond friend. He glanced at her, she arched her eyebrows and tilted her head towards Rikku in an inquiring manner. He gave her a nervous grin and a shrug.

Her ruby eyes narrowed slightly in that 'You're-hiding-something" expression.

He shrugged. A clear 'I-don't-know-what-you're-talking-about' gesture.

During the Time they had both spent in the field training to qualify for the Crimson Squad, Paine, Gippal, Baralai, and Nooj had gotten to know each other so well, they had unconsciously created an un-spoken language between them, using their gestures and expressions (though they weren't aware of such a thing) to communicate.

"Gippal." Paine said in acknowledgement, though her eyes were still tinged with suspicion.

"Dr. P" He said nodding back, eye flickered in her direction before going back to settle on Rikku.

"We've been looking for you Rikku." Yuna said, looking at her cousin who was still at an arms length away from her.

"I've been staying at the inn." Rikku said, stepping back and placing a hand on Pau's head.

"Oooh, that moomba is yours?" Yuna asked.

"Yep. Pau, Yunie. Yunie, Pau." Rikku said. Kuppo, who was sitting on one of the stall ledges chirped.

"Oh. That's Kuppo" Rikku said, pointing to the little bird, who chirped a welcome to Yuna.

"Is that a _Machina?"_ Yuna asked, staring at the bird in amazement.

"Yep"

"Where did you get it?"

"Erm.....Well, Gippal gave it to me and--" Rikku started.

"_Gippal?_" Paine interrupted. Shooting a glance at her long time companion, who was currently very interested in anything but the three girls.

"Yes..."

"_Gippal_ gave that to _you?"_ Paine asked again, motioning between Gippal and Rikku.

"Yes..." Rikku said, a little uncertain. "Why?"

"Oh.....nothing..." Paine said, trying very hard to keep a straight face. "That's...." her mouth twitched "....interesting."

"What is?" The blond girl pouted. "Paaaaine! Teeelll Mee!"

"Nothing to tell Rikku" The stoic girl said, and watched as Rikku huffed, muttered vaguely about going back to the inn and stomped away, Gippal trailing after her. Paine and Yuna left staring at them. Yuna, confused, and Paine very amused.

"What was that about?" Yuna asked, frowning slightly.

"Like I said to Rikku, Yuna, Nothing to tell." Paine grinned. "Yet."

-----------------

"Oi, would you wait up a sec? Geez, what's the rush?" Gippal complained as he was jostled by the Kilika Shoppers, pushing past them distractedly as he tried to catch up to Rikku, brushing by a man with a strange green hat, who watched him with a peculiar look.

The blond stopped and spun around. "What gave you the right to grab me like that?" She snapped, more to cover up her flustered state of mind then in actual anger.

Gippal just grinned that 'you-don't-fool-me' grin. "You weren't complaining"

Rikku reddened. And Gippal burst out laughing. He grabbed her hand. "Don't be such a baby, c'mon, lets go" Still holding her hand, he dragged her along the streets and walked her back to the inn.

"I could have found my way here on my own, you know." She muttered, still slightly red in the cheeks, mainly because he was still holding her hand.

"What's going on Rikku?" He asked abruptly, his fingers tightening almost painfully on her hand.

"What are you talking about?"

He snarled, pulled her into her room, closed the door and pinned her against it. "Don't give me that crap. Tell me what is going on."

Rikku couldn't look at him, "I don't know what you're talking about, nothing's going on."

He slammed his lips against hers, almost as if he wanted to punish her, nearly bruising. He tore his mouth away from hers after what seemed like an eternity.

"Why won't you tell me?" He asked quietly. "Why do you keep running away?"

"Gippal....."

"Why do you keep running?" He repeated, he bent forward touching his forehead to hers and then he said, so quietly she almost missed it. "Why won't you let me protect you?" The breathless resignation in his voice tore at her heart.

"Gippal, I'm a big girl" Rikku swallowed. "I can protect myself"

He reached up, touched her cheek with the back of his gloved hand. "You have grown up haven't you? Does that mean I'm not allowed to look after you now?" He asked, thumbing her cheek.

"I....Of course you can still look after me. But no commenting on my singing. Got it?" She said.

He chuckled, and kissed her lightly. "But you sing horribly-ow! Hey!"

"What did I just say?" she snapped, but grinned.

"It's the truth-you tired?" Gippal said

She yawned, and nodded.

He swooped down and carried her bridal style to the seat near the window and placed her on his lap.

"Go to sleep then" he said, and kissed Rikku's forehead.

"You'll be here when I wake up?"

"I'd be a poor body guard if I wasn't, right?"

"Okay..." She snuggled closer to his chest. "Goodnight, Gippal"

"Good night, Princess"

---------------------------------------------------

"Damnit! We lost him again!" A man yelled in the corner of the Kilika bazaar.

"We'll find him, he was with a blond girl" a woman said, rubbing the man's back.

"Heh, blond huh?, The leader's kid?"

"Think so. All these Al' Bhed look alike anyway"

"They think they can just waltz in and take out temple, damn them."

"The Burning Zanarkand didn't help either" the woman spat. "Now we're going to be in trouble with the superiors because we burned it"

"whose fault was that, who's idea was it to burn those worthless ruins anyway?"

"Don't care, but we're the ones going to get blamed for it. How hard is it to assassinate some second rate leader that like playing around with stupid parts anyway?"

"Obviously harder then we thought, he's still alive isn't he?"

"Sir" Another man stepped out of the crowed, his green hat distinguishing him. "He's at the Inn. with the blond girl. He seems to care a lot about her. We take her and she should come willingly."

"Should?" The man snapped. "I don't want 'should' I want you to be a hundred and ten percent positive that if we do take this chick that he'll come."

"oh he'll come alright. the trap is already set, now we just have to wait."

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ahhhhhh! Finals! I'm sorry that I couldn't get this up faster. I think I'll fail my finals, and won't be able to get to collage and then I won't be able to get a good job, and then I won't be able to afford food and clothing, but that's okay, who needs food to survive anyway? I live on love. Stupid finals! Read and Review! ;


	19. Garden of Roses

Hello again! It's me! I have finally come back with a lovely new chapter. Heh heh heh. I read over my entire story, and I'm shamed to say, that I have bad grammar. There. I said it. Bad Grammar! I wish I could correct everything and just go one. But that would probably take me weeks and weeks of re-editing and that wouldn't be a good thing to my readers. So I'll try to avoid the bad writing. Okay. Here is Chapter 19

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Dream A Little Dream.

Chapter 19: Garden of Roses.

I know. I know. I told myself that I wouldn't get close to Gippal. And I'm not!. It's just that...well, if I do disappear, (hopefully I don't) then I don't want to have left with regrets. Although I guess it would be safe to say that if I did get into a relationship with Gippal and then ended up disappearing, I guess I would regret that too.

So I'm at a crossroads. Both roads lead to the same thing; Seal those Gates (and me possibly vanishing).

On the one hand, I can take the road going on the right, and avoid any type for relationship with Gippal, so he wouldn't know how deeply I felt for him (even though he can be a jerk most of the time), or I can take the left road and have a mind-boggling affair with Gippal and have him blame himself if I disappear because he couldn't save me.

I don't want him to blame himself, because knowing Gippal, he would, just because he feels he has to be responsible for everything that happens, that he should protect me from everything. Even though I know he can't. Not from everything.

But... I don't want to regret not having a relationship with him, because...because, because I love him...lame reasoning to be used when trying to save the world. world over love. How has that ever worked out? I'm arguing with myself. All my emotions have gone haywire. It was so much easier when Gippal wasn't thrown into this mess. When things were so much clearer.

It's like I'm staring in a nonexistent mirror. Seeing two sides of myself try to find out which is the right road to take.

__

This is how Yuna and Tidus saw their stories. Confusion. Uncertain. Anger. Frustration. Love...

I can't expect to be able to sacrifice myself _and_ expect to find a lasting love. I don't know anyone that has.

__

Lies.

Tidus. _He_ sacrificed himself for Yuna, and _He_ still found love.__

You're not Tidus.

You're right. I don't have his courage.

I'm Rikku, only daughter of the Leader of the Al'Bhed. Savior of Spira. Twice. Why is it so hard to decide?

__

You've Never been in Love before.

What if I don't vanish? What if...I live happily ever after?

__

What if you don't?

I don't have to save the world. I can stay here. With Gippal.

__

Can you really be that selfish?

I want to be happy. Don't I deserve a little happiness?

__

Not at the expense of others. Would you ask them to sacrifice their happiness for yours?

Then what gives them the right to ask that of _me?_

__

They aren't asking.

What if I'm not willing to give?

__

You have no choice.

I love Gippal.

__

I love Spira.

It's out of Affection.

__

It's out of Duty.

I want to stay.

__

I have to go.

Please, tell me. What should I do? I'm not strong enough.

__

We have to be. It's the only path we can take.

...That's when I woke up.

It's cold out. Kind of odd, since it's Kilika. Not really cold, just enough to give me a chill. I still don't know what to do. Time is ticking.

The hourglass is running out of sand. And I still don't know what to do. I've been beating myself over this, since my nap. Should I stay, or should I go?

I have to admit, I'm not any closer to finding the right path then I started with.

My brain tells me to go right, but my heart wants to go left.

What If I don't disappear? What if it's all some sort of odd misunderstanding, maybe if I seal all of the Gates, maybe I won't disappear.

Maybe it's a fluke, that the Dreams were lying and the only reason they wanted me to help is because I was the only one worthy.

Maybe I'm not a dream. Maybe, when I reach the end, and I think I've disappeared, I'll come back, and land in the arms of Gippal. And everything will be happy, and it'll be a happy ending.

Maybe...

Heh. I promised myself I wouldn't cry. Especially not about this. I told that to myself. Gippal is out with Pau, getting something to eat, and probably chatting with Nooj and Baralai, who are here in Kilika.

I guess it would be time for me to find them eh? I mean, I should be out there with 'Spira's Heroes' having the heroes' feast or something.

I hope Gippal didn't finish the Prime Rib.

I walked out the door, from my hotel room, and walked down the hall. I guess I wasn't looking where I was going because I ran into a man with a weird lime green hat.

"You're Rikku?" He asked. Geez, didn't even say 'excuse me', albeit I'm the one who probably needed to say that.

I blinked. "Umm...yeah" I frowned. Have I seen this guy before?

"Gippal wants you to meet him at the temple" I blinked.

"Erm, didn't he say to meet him in the harbor?" Stupid Gippal. Always changing his plans.

"Don't look at me, lady. I'm just the messenger" he pushed past me, reaching into his pocket to pull out a lime green note. He was walking down the hall towards where my room was, although, he probably was just going there to use the bathroom at the end of the hall. The ones upstairs have had plumbing problems, or something.

I turned around and shrugged. Well. If Gippal wanted me to meet him in the temple. Then the temple it is. I re-loaded my guns, put them in their hidden holsters (hee, I feel like an agent for espionage or something, that's why I bought them on the dock)and packed my backpack, out of habit more then anything else and started walking to the temple.

--------------------------------------------

"Where is Rikku?" Gippal practically snarled. "I told her to meet us at the harbor, don't tell me she forgot."

"Hey, calm down." Tidus said, moving his hands in a placating gesture. The blitzball star had come here with Nooj and Baralai, on the Celsius along with Cid, Brother, and crew, after finding out that Yuna was here.

"Where _is_ she?" Yuna asked, looking around worriedly. "It's not like her to be so late."

"Yes it is" Paine deadpanned. Yuna glared at her, then faltered slightly.

"Well...she _can_ be late. But has she ever been _this_ late? For food, no less?" Yuna admitted, continuing to look slightly worried despite the fact that some of her fears were soothed.

Paine frowned. "You're right. She would have come early if she knew people like Gippal and Brother would be inhaling all the food"

Her comment was greeted with the simultaneous "Hey" and "Oi!" of the faction leader and brother.

"I haven't touched a thing!" the one-eyed leader snapped. Who, indeed was too trained on the harbor entrance to pay attention to his food. All eyes turned to that of Brothers, who tried not to look guilty even with barbeque sauce splattered around his mouth.

"I did not touch anything either" he said, sighs of "whatever, Brother" "Ho. boy" and "Dear Spira, he ate _half_ of it _already?"_ were heard after he made that comment, along with a few shaken heads.

__

"That's It!" Gippal snarled, slamming his hands down on the table. "I'm going to find Rikku" He stood up and started walking towards the inn.

He was muttering to himself as he entered the inn about Rikku purposely not going. Then he mentally kicked himself, 'She wouldn't do that. Right? Right' he tried to convince himself, and pretty much succeeded except for the little seed of doubt about the fact that she might have left without him again.

He didn't know why he felt so compelled to stay around her lately. It was always like if he turned around for a second, then she would vanish before he even knew what was happening. He wanted her to confide in him, he always had, but now, he felt like if he let her out of his sight, that she would be gone forever. And there was nothing he could do about it.

And he _hated_ feeling helpless about anything.

He walked down the hall to where her room as, and abruptly stopped when he saw the bright lime green not stuck to her door. He frowned and read it. Three lines, that's all there were. Three lines that infuriated him.

__

Faction Leader.

Your little princess is with us. If you wish to see her again, resign as Faction Leader, and evacuate D'jose temple.

You know who we are. You have until morning to make your decision. Meet us at Kilika Temple when you've made it..

Gippal snarled and slammed his fist on the door, before ripping the note from the door and crumpling it, staring off into the depths of the hallway.

"You shouldn't have done that, you bastards" he muttered quietly, leashed fury in his voice, his eye blazing in anger, "You shouldn't have tried to take her away from me. Now you're going to regret it. Dearly."

He knew they had no intention of just letting him resign. They'd kill him. Just to ensure the fat that the temple would be under the control Yevon. Baralai had been trying to track down the leaders of this new group, and had six of his men murdered and delivered on his doorstep as a warning to tell him not to interfere with them again.

This, of course made Baralai furious, and he increased his efforts, albeit quietly. Gippal made a note to grill his best friends for answers when Rikku was safe with him again. He stormed out of the Inn.

'Morning my ass' He thought grimly. 'They'll be lucky to be breathing out of their necks once I'm done with them.'

He made his way Grimly to the Temple.

They shouldn't have taken her away from him.

Now there'd be Hell to pay.

And he was there to collect.

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Ahhhhh! I haven't updated in so long! I'm sorry that this chapter isn't as long as my other ones. But I've been super-uber busy. But I WILL update sometime next week. Hopefully longer then this one. (which is a sad amount for the chapter, I might add)


	20. Much ado About Nothing

Yes, yes, I haven't updated in a while. But I had a good reason!. My internet connection died on me a while ago, and therefore I haven't been able to post. ugh. It's horrible. If you're reading this right now, then I've probably posted. Yay. I have also solemnly swore to try and improve my grammar. I've read the past chapters and was absolutely horrified to find out the extent of my bad grammar. I will make a conscious effort to rectify that. (I know how annoying it gets when stories have bad grammar).

Anyway. I apologize again for not having this up sooner. Read and enjoy.

Oh, and the whole italics on the last chapter was completely another fluke. I think the uploading system hates me.

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Dream A little Dream

Chapter 20: Much Ado about Nothing.

It was getting later and later, and the townspeople of Kilika, full from their dinners had settled down in content to watch the last rays of sunlight fade into the horizon. The night was breezy, a calm, soothing contrast on the ports of the vibrant city. Content radiated off in waves as families got comfortable in their houses, one again saying prayers to Yevon, or to the Fayth, whichever the people believed to have more of an influence to their now peaceful world.

Yes the night was beautiful, and everyone was content.

Except for the rapidly ticking time bomb that was known as Gippal.

The Machine Faction leader stormed out of the Inn, his Mortar slung over his shoulders with every intent of blowing those responsible for taking Rikku away from him into oblivion. He moved like a serpent, gliding into the evening without detection.

He was angry. More angry then he had ever remembered being.

No, that wasn't true, the last time he had been this angry was when Cid sent Rikku out into the harsh world of Spira with the mission of saving her cousin's life.

He had gone into a blind rage, accusing Cid of sending his only daughter to her death. He had been out for blood then.

Ruefully he admitted that he was out for blood now. Only it wasn't Cid's blood in danger of being spilt. It was those idiots who thought that he would give up peacefully just because Rikku had been taken away from him. If anything it fueled his rage, not honestly knowing why he felt so strongly at her being taken away from him.

He just knew that no one would be allowed to do it. No-one.

He vowed that those men were dead men walking. All of them.

Rikku frowned at the dim light in the temple. Looking around curiously, she tried to spot the arrogant Faction leader, since it was he who had called her here in the first place. She closed her eyes, sighing out in frustration. If she had missed that wonderful Kilikan prime Rib just because Gippal had tried to play a prank on her. Ooooh, she would kill him.

Until he was very dead and couldn't move anymore.

Idly, she wondered why, even though she loved him, she still pictured him dying painfully in some tragic way whenever she got upset over something that he had done; sometimes it didn't really have anything to do with him, she just pictured him at the end of her wrath, and instantly she would feel better about the situation.

Maybe it was because she loved him so much that she thought of him suffering like that. Rikku shook her head. 'No. That would make me into some sort of masochist or something'.

She shivered at the thought. "Ew."

She smiled, and walked closer to the center of the temple, her eyes flickered to the shifting light of the fires. Something didn't feel right.

She stopped. A rustle had her spinning around. "Gippal...?"

"This isn't funny, you jerk. Come out already"

Rikku began to get nervous. Something definitely didn't feel right. She fingered the tips of her guns, unconsciously, hopefully nothing bad would happen that she had to use them.

Shadows began looming over her. This was really beginning to make her nervous.

__

He's never going to love you, you know. Something whispered in the back of her mind. Rikku stiffened. _Get away from him, you're only going to cause him harm._

Another rustle.

She spun around, and all she saw was a man in a green hat before everything became a blur.

Gippal walked to the entrance of the temple. Listening closely as he heard the scolding voice of someone who sounded remarkably like Rikku.

He stormed in, ready to have his guns blazing at any given moment, then stopped. Shock, amusement, relief and slight anger flooded his system as he saw Rikku glaring and scolding the people who were supposedly her captors.

All of them were stuck in slimy, sticky purple goo. All of them fighting fruitlessly against the sticky substance. Rikku, looking very much like Brother at the moment with her frantic waving finger.

"You should all be _ashamed_ of yourselves!" She snapped, still not noticing his presence. "All of you!"

"How _dare_ you think you can kidnap me like that! You should have consulted me first. You're all just big...big..._meanies!_ Yes you! and you, and you!" Gippal thought it would have been a little pointless to state that kidnapping doesn't usually happen with the victim's permission.

"Now Probably all the Kilikan barbeque is all gone. I won't have dinner. And then I won't be able to sleep because I'm so hungry, and then because I'm so hungry and no sleep I won't be able to save the stupid world. _Again!"_

Rikku began pacing.

"Do you know how hard it was to beat Sin? do you? And then there is this, this _thing_ called Vegnagun, which by the way _you_ Yevonites are responsible for. And _Now _There's this _other_ thing that I have to take care of. And I didn't even get my Kilikan Barbeque!"

Gippal frowned. What other thing?

"And you!" She snapped, rounding on the man with the Green hat. "What is it with you and that hat?" she snatched it off his head.

"Good gracious! You're _bald!" _Rikku slammed the hat back on the man's head. "But you should consider getting a different color, you look positively white with that stupid hat."

"And what is it with you and the temple thingy? You have the Other temple's to worry about, and not very many people are visiting them anymore because there's nothing to pray from. And besides, Gippal's making good use for the temple. Which is more then I can say for _you!_" There went her finger, waving like a sword.

"Sometimes you can't get everything you want. Right?" she looked at them, and frowned, forgetting that they couldn't answer with the goo on their mouths. "Right. You know what they say, when life gives you lemons, you clone those lemons and make super lemons!"

Gippal grinned. "I don't think that's how it goes."

Rikku spun around and glared at him. "_You!_ This is all Your fault! I missed my barbecue because you and your stupid Yevon adversaries had to go and kidnap me and you had to try and play hero and _how long have you been standing there?"_

She was on a roll. "Why? Why does this happen to me? huh? Why! What did I ever do to you? You owe me a barbecue, you jerk!" she snapped, in one breath.

Her hand lashed out ad slapped him across the face. She stared at him, horrified at what she had done. The Yevonites stared at him in shock, glancing back at Rikku. Gippal's head was snapped to one side, he cheek red. Rikku burst out crying, flinging herself in his arms. "It's their fault, _they _made me do it"

"I thought you wouldn't come" She whispered, hugging him tightly.

"What are you talking about?" Gippal asked, confused, automatically wrapping his arms around the sobbing girl.

"They keep saying that I shouldn't see you anymore. That I should get away from you as fast as I can." Rikku sobbed.

Gippal's eye narrowed at the people currently encased in purple. "_Them?_" he asked, motioning to them.

"No, no. Not them..." Rikku whispered shakily. "It started when I got into the temple. Gippal, I think I might be going crazy. They-they say that I shouldn't be here. That I don't belong here."

"Who?" He asked, feeling slightly nervous about the dazed look in her swirling green eyes.

"I can't tell you." she muttered, tapping her finger to her skull. "But they say I should go. It's dangerous for you to be around me Gippal."

"What are you talking about. Everyone here is stuck in that slime of yours, they aren't a threat. Good going, by the way." He grinned, attempting to make her smile.

She just stared at the people captive to the slime, as if seeing them for the first time. "I don't remember how they got like that Gippal." she whimpered in a small voice.

She sounded so much like a little girl that he glanced down worriedly at her. She began to shake. "I-I've been having nightmares lately, I haven't told anyone. I hear people talking to me in my sleep Gippal. Asking me things. Things that I know but don't know _how_ I know. Sometimes I start to black out, and wake up in a different place."

"C'mon" Gippal whispered soothingly. "It's probably because you're tired. We'll get these guys to the authorities and get some rest. You'll be better off tomorrow." He rubbed her back and lead her outside.

If only it were that simple.

I wish I knew what was going on. It's true that I've been hearing voices, and the fact that I black out and wake up in different places. It's starting to scare me.

I think it's the whole dream mission thing that I'm doing. After every temple I've closed, I've been dreaming more. Not all of them are good dreams too.

The Crystal I found in D'jose? You remember that right? It's gone. I know for a fact that I didn't take it out of my belt.

Am I supposed to go insane before I re-seal all the gates? Because that would suck.

...What is it like to lose your mind? To know that you're losing it? I'm starting to see flashes of things now. Things from the past. How Kilika used to be. The summoners who gave their lives to save us. If only for a short time.

I know all of them. By name. By place. General Roycon of Kilika, he gave himself up for the calm. Lady Sienna, from Baaj temple. I know all of them that gave their lives for the calm.

It freaks me out. Because I'm not supposed to know these things.

Maybe that's why I'm not as happy as I used to be. Gippal says I'll be better in the morning. I don't think so.

It's around 2:00 in the morning. I'm not in Kilika anymore.

I'm in Bevelle.

I don't know how I got here. I woke up. In the middle of the night. And...my feet just started moving. I have my sword. I'm sealing the temple.

It feels odd. To feel like you're watching everything from a sphere.

My feet are moving again. I'm walking around in Bevelle. Baralai's advisors are greeting me. I hear myself talking and greeting them back. Everything is dim, like when the commsphere is on low volume.

I wonder if I'm being mind controlled or something.

All of a sudden, everything's loud again. It's still early. I really don't know how I got here. I'm still in Bevelle.

Hmmm...I wonder why I'm not as freaked out as I should be. Prolonged effect I guess.

...I have a craving for barbeque. Isn't that odd? Somewhere in my brain, it's all jumbled and I'm seeing things again.

Something's telling me that I don't have time anymore. That I have to seal those gates. I don't know who. But it's telling me that he imbalance has started already.

Kuppo isn't with me. Neither is Pau. I'm just by myself. Perhaps it's a sign to say that I'm supposed to end this alone.

What would Gippal think? When I disappear without saying anything? What would my dad say?

My feet have started moving on their own again. The background of Bevelle is starting to blur, like a bleeding canvas. I see Baralai's advisors pointing and whispering about me.

Something about me fading.

Where am I fading? Baaj temple. I'm in Baaj. I'm sealing the gate, I'm fighting fiends.

And I have absolutely no control over my body. Have you ever had that experience before? I'm not freaked out, like I should be.

I don't feel like anything. Something in the back of my brain whispers that I'm becoming less real.

Less real? Was I ever real in the first place?

They say human emotions will start to fade. But I don't _want_ them to fade. Every time I seal a temple, I lose a little piece of myself. I don't feel like..._me_ anymore.

I want to stop. I want to stop! I don't want to save the world. Not if it means losing myself along with it.

Help me.

Please. I don't want to lose myself in a dream. Please.

I can't talk. My voice isn't working.

My story comes with a price. I think Mine is the only one without a happy ending.

Baaj is sealed. And it's starting to blur again. Wow, I'm getting things a done a lot faster then I would if It were just me.

Maybe I should be glad that it's going to be over soon.

Besaid. That's where I am now. On the beach.

And I have control again. Well...as much control as I would have.

I start walking down the beach. I'm shaking. Honestly though, can you blame me? Some fiends stand in the way, but they're really nothing. Not a challenge at all. I Move faster, my attacks are more accurate. I'm becoming less human. Becoming more like the dream I am. I should have asked Tidus how it feels to vanish. But then it would make him suspicious wouldn't it?

I find myself in Besaid Village. At the entrance. Sunrise is coming. Wakka usually does his rounds of the village this time of day. I hope he doesn't see me. I'm afraid of what he'll say.

I'm being pushed into the temple by some invisible force. Either that or my legs have started moving again.

I need a control for this or something. It's kind of annoying not being able to tell which way you're going. It's kind of creepy too. I blacked out after that.

...It's kind of creepy, when I came too, I'm in the temple of Besaid and the hole is sealed. I don't remember doing it, I just have fuzzy memories of things. I walk out of the chamber of the fayth.

Owie...my head really hurts, It's like I've been beaten with a stick. Repeatedly. Something I never want to experience again.

"...Rikku?" I look down, I see Wakka, and Lulu.

It's kind of scary watching your friends look like they're afraid of you. There must be something about me that scares them, cause Wakka steps in front of Lulu.

"Yes." My voice isn't my voice anymore. It's like two voices rolled into one. It's kind of odd.

"Is something wrong?" I find myself asking, half anticipating, half terrified of what they may say. But there's a part of me that didn't care.

...Does that make sense? Great I'm becoming some sort of dream-like being, and I still have a hard time figuring things out. I don't know whether to be insulted or relieved. So I'll be a little of both.

I'm still myself...to some degree. But I'm not...Ok, I'm not making any sense.

"You're see through...or your flickering" Lulu said.

I look at my hands and sure enough, I can see through them to the floor.

Translucent, non-translucent, translucent, non-translucent, translucent...

Heh, I'm having too much fun with that.

I look at them, and suddenly, all the emotions that I haven't been able to feel come rushing back to me. Whooosh! Like that.

And I'm terrified.

"Lulu, Wakka. Help me!" That's all I remember saying before I blacked out.

Sorry I haven't updated in like...forever. But That wasn't entirely my fault. There was, some family problems, then someone got very ill, and then there was a death in the family. So I've been recuperating. I'm sorry that I wasn't able to update, but, I'll try to get the next chapter up sooner rather then later. Hopefully.


	21. Beautiful Dreamer

Hey all. Yes, It's been ages since I've updated. And really, I don't think I'll go into my family dysfunctional state, so I'll just say, sorry sorry, beg for forgiveness.

I suppose I've been suffering a mild bout of writer's block. But here I am again! Yay!

and here is another addition of my almost abandoned story.

Dream a Little Dream

Chapter 21: Beautiful Dreamer

Rikku sat up gasping, darting her eyes frantically around the room. Where was she? This definitely wasn't Kilika anymore.

Memories of the night before flooded her mind.

Rikku shivered. What was happening to her? She stared at her hands. Well, at least you couldn't see through them like you could yesterday.

Rikku sat on that bed a long time, staring into space, wondering what was happening to her. Wondering vaguely if this was how Tidus felt when he found out he was going to disappear.

There was only the Macalania temple to go. Then...everything would begin. Or, perhaps, in her case, end.

"So, you're awake." Lulu's calm voice penetrated her thoughts. Rikku looked up to find Lulu standing near the entrance. "I've been standing here for a bit. Is there something on your mind?"

"Since when have I ever had anything on my mind?" Rikku joked. Lulu's lips curved faintly.

"Where's the munchkin?" Rikku wondered, peering around Lulu.

The older woman smiled and shook her head slightly. "Giving his father a hard time. Wakka took him for a walk on the beach, he was getting fussy."

"Awwww...the big tubby daddy out with the munchkin. How sweet!"

Lulu chuckled, and watched Rikku.

Rikku looked down, a little unnerved by former black mage's stare.

"Is there something you want to talk about?"

Rikku's green eyes snapped back to Lulu's. "No! Nothing's wrong, there's nothing to talk about!"

Lulu fell silent again, then she sighed.

"I should think there is something to talk about. I don't think I've ever seen anyone be able to pass through the doors of the cloister trials without opening them."

"Hahahaha! That was just a trick! It was a prank, um I figured out a way to pass through things with a spell. So, see? There's nothing to worry about!" Rikku said, a little desperately.

She wouldn't meet Lulu's eyes.

"Come walk with me." Lulu said quietly.

Rikku swallowed, smiling tremulously. "Okay."

****

X.X.X.X.

Baralai stormed through the hotel in Kilika, up before everyone else. He walked through the halls with a determined stride. He walked to Gippal's room stood before it, and began pounding viciously at the door.

"Gippal! Gippal! Get up!"

"Go 'way, Baralai" came the muffled, sleepy reply.

Baralai rolled his eyes. Gippal was always very lazy in the morning. He tried another tactic.

"Hey, Gippal. Do you know where Rikku is? I can't seem to find her anywhere-" he paused, listening with satisfaction as crashes, cursing, and thuds occurred from the other side of the door.

He grinned as the door was almost viciously torn off it's hinges as a very angry looking Gippal opened it.

"Dammit! I told her to stay put!" raged a very put out, half naked Gippal. Apparently he had forgotten to put a shirt on, or it his haste, decided it wasn't worth it.

Baralai calmed him down with a stare. His level eyes boring into Gippal's eyes.

"We got a call from St. Bevelle. Apparently Rikku was there last night." Baralai said quietly.

"What? St. Bevelle? But that takes at least a day and a half to get there by boat, longer if you walk." Gippal frowned. "Has the Celsius left?"

Baralai shook his head. "I asked Brother this morning, the Celsius hasn't left the dock."

"But there's something I don't understand. The reports I got from Bevelle say that Rikku was..._flickering_."

"What?" Gippal asked, looking as confused as Baralai felt. "I called them to make sure there wasn't a misunderstanding. They say that Rikku was practically transparent. They said she closed the seal of the Fayth in the temple."

"You need a concentrated amount of energy to be able to do that. We don't have that type of technology"

"Apparently Rikku does. Yuna recently got a call from her former Guardian, Wakka, he says that she's in Besaid right now."

Gippal wordlessly nodded, and closed the door In Baralai's face, presumably to change.

Baralai sighed, When would Gippal just admit his feelings for Rikku?

****

.X.X.X.X

Rikku stood at the beach, staring at her feet as the tide splashed around her ankles. Apparently she was becoming less human.

That's what she thought anyway. Why else would she be all ghostlike if she wasn't some sort of alien?

It was odd, she didn't _feel_ anything other then just Rikku. But apparently she was changing.

'I'm a dream' she thought, a sardonic smile curved her lips.

Somewhere along the line, she'd gotten used to the idea of being a dream, to the point where it didn't bother her anymore. At least, not a lot.

Lulu had asked her if anything was wrong. _Everything_ was wrong. Not that she said it. She told them what happened had been a practical joke, that they shouldn't worry about her, because she was absolutely peachy.

She didn't think that Lulu or Wakka believed her. But they didn't ask questions. She thought back to what she had said to Lulu when she said she was leaving.

__

"Hey, Lulu?"

"Hmm?"

"I'm going to go soon. I have some unfinished business to do in other parts of Spira. I'd Like you to do me a favor."

"What is it?"

"Yuna is probably going to come here worried about me. Tell her that I've got my own story to finish. That she shouldn't worry. I'll be fine."

"hm. You've grown, Rikku. Into a beautiful young woman."

"Heh, I don't feel beautiful."

"Sometimes you don't have to feel beautiful to be beautiful."

"Thanks Lulu."

"Your welcome.'

"And Lulu?"

"Yes?"

"If...if the leader of the Machine Faction comes here...tell him...tell him I'm sorry. And that...and that I..."

Lulu looked at her, and smiled. _"I'll tell him, Rikku."_

"Thank you."

Lulu hadn't asked where she was going, perhaps because she knew Rikku wouldn't tell. Back to Kilika. And then To D'jose.

And then to Macalania.

And from there...she didn't know where else she would go.

But she had to see this through, no matter what the outcome.

****

X.X.X.X.X

Tidus jumped out of the Celsius, followed closely by everyone else. Brother was in the airship, still muttering about how thoughtless Rikku was to leave without telling them. Yuna, as expected, had paced the entire time, wringing her hands and muttering softly to herself about the possible reasons that Rikku could have left without telling them again.

Pain had stood in a corner, talking softly with Nooj and Baralai, her face a smooth mask, save for the worry in her eyes.

And the Machine Faction leader had sat on the floor, head leaning back against the wall, snapping at everyone who happened to come to close.

In short, Tidus was glad they had come to Besaid. He hoped that Lulu or Wakka would be able to help soothe everyone's tight nerves.

Lulu was waiting for them at the beach.

"Yuna, everyone." she smiled looking at them with somewhat sad eyes.

"Lulu. Is Rikku here?" Yuna asked, rushing up to her former guardian.

The black-haired woman shook her head. "I'm sorry, Yuna, but you just missed her."

Yuna's shoulders slumped. "Oh." she whispered, looking worried and hurt at the same time.

"For what it's worth, she wants you to know that she's alright. That she has her own story to finish. She needs some time to grow."

Yuna looked up. "I...guess. But what does she mean her story?"

Gippal burst into the conversation. "What do you mean not worry about her? Rikku can't walk down the road without tripping over something." he snapped.

"She's stronger then she looks Gippal" Paine said, tilting her head to the side in an 'why-are-you-so-worried' manner.

Gippal bristled. Something didn't feel right to him. And it was bothering the hell out of him.

"You're the machine faction leader?" Lulu asked, turning curious eyes to said person.

"Yes. What about it?" He asked, staring her straight in the eye.

Lulu chuckled, motioning for them to follow her. "Paine is right, Gippal, is it? Rikku is much stronger then we all suspect. Much stronger then even she might realize." She walked up the path, not waiting for them to follow. "Come, it's getting dark, why don't you and you're entourage stay for the night?"

Yuna sighed in resignation. "I suppose...Paine? What do you think?"

The red eyed woman shrugged nonchalantly. "Suits me just fine. I don't suppose that Rikku could get into _that_ much trouble..." She trailed off, her red eyes looking up at the beach.

Gippal's hands fisted to his sides. Didn't _anyone_ understand? Something wasn't right. Why didn't anyone feel it?

"I'd like to speak to you alone for a minute, if that's alright, Mr. Faction Leader" Lulu said, once they had gotten into the village.

"Yes." He answered through gritted teeth, unease chiseled in his handsome features.

They walked to the cliff near the temple, the one overlooking the sea. Lulu watched the waves for a bit before speaking.

"Rikku is a remarkable woman..." Lulu said, quietly. "You are a very fortunate young man."

"What are you talking about?"

Lulu smiled, still not looking away from the waves. "She's been through a lot, I imagine. She always pretended to be tough. I won't lie to you, I admired her fire and energy. I still do."

"And?"

Lulu's eyes remained trained at the sea. "She's been through a lot." Lulu said again. "I saw the pain going through her eyes when she found out that Yuna had chosen to be a Summoner. I saw the compassion in her eyes for the people who reserved such hate for her and her people. I saw her childlike innocence, still untainted by everything that she's gone through. I saw her strength when Home fell into ruins. I saw the love reflected in her eyes when she looked at those that matter most."

Gippal stayed quiet. Lulu had gotten his attention. He felt himself relax at hearing her speak about Rikku.

"She was always there to cater to the needs of those who she felt meant more to her then anything else. Her devotion to her friends, and even her family. She is someone who is genuinely fascinated by life."

Gippal found himself smiling. "Yeah, she is..."

"You mean a lot to her. Gippal, Leader of the Machine faction. You mean so much to her. I can see it when she talks about you."

Gippal watched Lulu as the older woman finally turned to him.

"Before she left, she asked me to tell you that she's sorry for the grief she's caused you. And also to tell you, that despite whatever miscommunications you two have...she loves you."

He stood there, frozen.

"She loves you, Gippal. I hope you realize how very lucky you are."

With that she left him. Leaving Gippal to stare out into the ocean, trying to sort out his muddled thoughts.

****

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

TBC! I'm very sorry that I was unable to update sooner. I had a little bout of Writer's Block, but I pretty much have the rest of the story planned out. I hope I'll be able to update sooner. So, here's hoping. Again, I'd like to thank everyone for their wonderful support through everything that I've been going though. Really, you guys are fantastic. Exactly what a Writer needs. So Thank you, very very very much.


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